Runaway Train

When the song Runaway Train by Soul Asylum was playing on the radio a few days ago, I thought I might as well rewatch the adventure movie of the same name. This is a movie in which you will essentially feel all the frostbite and fingers crushed by iron, which transforms the usual premise of a prison escape into an original "survival movie"; with a runaway armoured train and a very memorable manic performance by Jon Voight in the lead role and great Eric Roberts and Rebecca De Mornay in supporting roles. With the unconventional direction of Andrey Konchalovskiy and the original screenplay by Akira Kurosawa, this Cannon Films production feels like revelation. This is a stylish and chilling action movie that really gets under your skin. (02/02/2020)

Sure, the story and a bit of the execution is B-grade, but the acting, the dynamic editing, and last but not least the unstoppable runaway train give it a very convincing mask of refined action spectacle. Konchalovsky didn't sweat much on the director's chair, but the film is all the more brisk and emotionally striking in the end. If you fancy switching off for 100 minutes and a splash of blood here and there won't upset you, don’t hesitate. 75% (02/03/2013)

A riveting thrill ride that benefits from two things in particular: 1) Konchalovsky’s conception of the limited space of the train, where the tension is heightened by the cuts to the control center, which creates more obstacles and problems, 2) the excellently written and acted characters of the prisoners and guards, for whom it is quite an issue to feel any sympathy, given their nature. The result is an uncompromising flick whose appeal, even after more than twenty years, is mainly due to the irresistible boyish feeling of hard adventure, as is the case for the films made by Frankenheimer or Carpenter. In fact, the traditional synth music references the latter. A classic. (03/09/2009)

Four runaway locomotives, two fugitives and the endless expanse of snow. A picture that works in all scenes that take place on the train itself. It also has a very powerful ending, good actors and a decently set atmosphere of unwelcoming wilderness and a situation with no way out. But what takes Runaway Train down, a lot way down, is the B-standard evil prison guard character and almost all the scenes from the command station. They needlessly interrupt the viewer experience. They would have done better to focus fully just on the rising tension in the uncontrollable train. Even so, mainly thanks to the ending, this is an excellent movie experience. (03/09/2007)

The icy atmosphere is fantastic, very depressing and real. Jon Voight is also excellent, as long as he doesn’t go into emotions, where he doesn’t feel authentic but rather awkward. Rebecca De Mornay, on the other hand, delivers not just overacting but the highest level of embarrassment. There were several moments where the dialogues between the main trio felt very artificial and hard to believe, something that hasn't happened to me in a long time with a movie. As a suspenseful thriller, however, it is acceptable primarily thanks to the direction and the original idea. It is hard to imagine the harsh and snowy landscape of Alaska as a backdrop better utilized than it was done here. (27/09/2008)