Runaway Train (1985)

The cinematography is good, the action is fantastic, and the music is excellent but characters and their actions are the weakest part of the movie. Nearly every choice the people make seem like the worst on and motivations seem conflicting and confusing. Manny and his partner are mostly unlikeable and basically insufferable. Manny's choice at the end and the death of the warden are frustrating and feels like an undeserved victory for him.

Dear Andrey Konchalovskiy, you directed one of the most unique prison escape action movies of all time. This is what every action film should aspire to be. Here are a few things that made this film unique: The dialogues - were a mix of tough working class street lingo and some really intellectual stuff. I guess Edward Bunker had something to do with the way the dialogues were written. I wish he had written more movies. The performances - nearly every single actor is over the top. I think the performances in this film might have influenced the likes of Rob Zombie and his cast in The Devil's Rejects. It is cheesy at places. But very original too. I wonder how you instructed the actors on the sets.The background score - a rollicking background score during the initial action scenes but a more gloomy tune is used repeatedly as the film nears its end. It captures the shift in the film's tone from an exciting action flick to a statement on human nature. The editing - it must have been a tough film to edit. I liked the constant use of point of view shots from the destroyed front portion of the train. The quick cuts of tracking shots helped to emphasize the speed at which the train was traveling. The ending - when Voight kills himself and the cruel warden who relentlessly hunts him, it is almost like he is purging the world of two very hateful beings. It is not an ending one would expect in a horror film.John Voight might have acted in two of the best survival flicks of all time - Deliverance and Runaway Train. Good job, Andrey.Best Regards, Pimpin.(8/10)

Allow me to step out my time machine in the year 2016 and express my love for a film that I first saw first run in January 1986. From the opening scene at the supermax prison located in rugged northwestern Alaska to the escape and subsequent epic train ride this film was chocked full of imagery and strong characters especially Voight and Roberts. These two gave the performance of a lifetime and were robbed at awards programs with only a nomination for Roberts. Look for a young Danny Trejo in the boxing ring with Roberts in his first ever movie scene at the beginning of the film. Without disclosing the plot the most interesting aspect is how such a cast of unbelievably dangerous characters could evoke so much understanding and empathy that even in the worst of the worst there is dignity and respect worthy of any of us. One other aspect that added a surreal moment to an already surreal movie. At the end of the film as the dispatch office as given up hope on stopping the train and saving the occupants the head controller Frank Barstow who designed the computer system that now has failed to save them laments how could this have happened with all this technology and expertise and in the background there is a television with the a news story about the space shuttle. This film was released the same month as the Challenger Disaster and yours truly was watching this first run only days after the disaster. It was a coincidence but wow talk about powerful. I walked out of the theater completely affected for days and now thirty years later I'm still talking about it.

Just watched this piece of dreck on one of the movie channels of The Vast Wasteland and was appalled at how truly bad it was. Glad that I didn't actually spend money to see this disaster in a theater.Implausible idea, weak and cartoonish script and dreadful acting (especially by hopelessly miscast Jon Voight). The only performer who put in a somewhat convincing role was Eric Roberts. Numerous situations were ridiculous and unlikely. Entire scenes that added nothing worthwhile to the narrative should have been left on the cutting room floor. Although this is supposed to be a thriller, there was surprisingly little suspense, just quite a bit of predictable going through the motions.I have to wonder who goes in for such mindless, contrived and amateurish fare. Filmic stupidity. There was absolutely no value in this turkey.