Runaway Train

Runaway Train is a relentlessly gripping, heart-twisting, high-octane action thriller directed by Russian veteran Andrei Konchalovsky and produced by the iconic action movie maestro, Golan-Globus Productions. First released in 1985, the film brings a nail-biting tension to a feral chase about two convicts escaping an Alaskan maximum-security prison aboard a locomotive hurtling unstoppably through the snowy wastelands.

In the central role is Oscar-nominee Jon Voight, demonstrating a broad range of dramatic acting that keeps viewers glued to the screen. Voight plays Oscar 'Manny' Manheim, a fiercely independent and notorious prisoner so rebellious that the warden has welded his cell shut for three years. When a legal order facilitates his release back into the general prison population, it sparks a beacon of hope for his escape.

Opposite him is charming Eric Roberts in a highly energetic and visceral Oscar-nominated role, as Buck McGeehy, a seemingly simple-minded crook sentenced for statutory rape. Buck, who sees in Manny a long-held figure of respect and admiration, is eager to tag along in his daring escape plan. Roberts skillfully spends the movie balancing between the vulnerable and endearing naivety and the simmering explosive volatility within his character.

Upon their successful yet perilous escape from the prison, through drain tunnels and freezing icy waters, the duo finds themselves hopping aboard a four-engine freight train for a ride to freedom. However, the celebration is short-lived when they realize that the train’s engineer has suffered a heart attack and fallen off, leaving the diesel beast to its own, uncontrolled and untamable fate on the tracks.

Rebecca De Mornay comes into the narrative as Sara, a railway worker unwittingly entangled in the wild tumult of the train ride. De Mornay brings a sobering edge to the macho-dominated chaos, moving from being a mere damsel in distress to an empowered woman, contributing to the survival chances of everyone onboard.

As the 100-ton diesel machine charges through the breathtaking Alaskan terrains and the treacherous icy landscapes, the escalating fear, burgeoning human emotions, and the confrontations within the confined cab spaces create an overwhelming intensity that captures the ethos of this film. The characters are drawn deeper into the perilous journey, each battling their rising panic while realizing the looming disaster that they are fast racing towards - a train collision at a dead-end stop with nothing but deadly explosives and an unforgiving icy lake beyond.

The simultaneous narrative thread highlighting the desperate efforts of the train company’s staff to stop the train, and the vengeful prison warden feverishly hunting down the escapees, adds additional layers of thrill and urgency to the unfolding drama.

Runaway Train employs a solid script originally conceived by the acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa and was later adapted by Djordje Milicevic, Paul Zindel, and the idiosyncratic Edward Bunker. The movie successfully marries together the primal excitement of a break-neck pursuit with a compelling introspective dive into the human condition, individual dignity, and the relentless quest for freedom, however illusory it may be.

The movie gains a lot of its raw kinetic energy from Konchalovsky's direction and Alan Hume’s spectacular cinematography that stunningly captures the train’s thundering rampage against the bleakly beautiful Alaskan wilderness. The soundtrack composed by Trevor Jones heightens the movie's growing sense of impending doom and dread. Aiding Jones' music is the incessant, rhythmic clatter and roar of the train itself, which almost becomes a character in its own right.

In conclusion, Runaway Train is a standout entry in the action-thriller genre. Nuanced portrayals by Voight, Roberts, and De Mornay, interwoven with adrenaline-charged sequences and introspective moments, intensify the film's narrative. The picturesque Alaskan backdrop serves as an immersive counterpoint to the drama encapsulated within the runaway train. Dark, gritty, emotional, and filled with bone-chilling suspense, Runaway Train is a captivating cinematic experience that holds nothing back.