RUNAWAY TRAIN
RATING: 7.5/ 10 --> Re-watchable
Review
Date: September
26, 1998
Director:
Andrei
Konchalovsky
Writers:
Djordje
Milicevic and Paul Zindel and Edward Bunker
Producers: Menahem
Golan and Yoram Globus
Actors:
Jon
Voight as Oscar "Manny"
Manheim
Eric Roberts as Buck
Rebecca DeMornay as Sara
Genre:
Thriller
Year of Release: 1985
This movie garnered Oscar nominations for both
stars Jon Voight (Best Actor) and Eric Roberts (Best Supporting
Actor) at the 1986 Acadamy Award celebrations. Director
Konchalovsky creates an intense thriller that takes two escaped
convicts, slaps them on an unmanned train barreling down some
tracks at lightning speeds, and surrounds them with the wonderful
white world of winter.
PLOT:
Con of steel Manny (Voight) gets let out of the "hole"
after three years of solitude in a maximum-security Alaskan
prison. Soon enough, he escapes the terror of the jail and its
psychotic warden, alongside a prize-fighting, dimwitted prisoner
named Buck (Roberts), and hops onto the nearest train.
Unfortunately for either escapee, the train suddenly loses its
engineer, picks up excessive speeds, and hurdles down the wintery
tracks without brakes or a final destination.
CRITIQUE:
Gritty, suspenseful, stylish, overlong thriller that combines
chompin' good dialogue with solid acting performances by its main
leads. Despite the fact that I found both performances by Voight
and Roberts a little "overdone" at first, I eventually
saddled into their tough guy characters, and forgot to pay
attention to the actors themselves (always indicative of great
performances). The story lends itself to deep interpretations,
none of which I will expand upon in this review, but needless to
say that the gist of the plot bleeds around freedom, and the
harsh price that many people are willing to pay for it.
The directing of this picture was highly stylized and wonderfully
achieved, while its cinematography was as sweet as the winter
wonderland that it chillingly portrayed. The dialogue was fresh
(see Little Known Facts below for possible reasons behind its
authenticity), and the acting was strong by both main men. On the
down side, I do think that the picture could have been cut by
about fifteen to twenty minutes, with some of the later scenes
dragging on a little, and the soundtrack was a little too
synthesized for my predilection, but hey, it was the
eighties...what do you expect?!
The final scene of the movie is also a classic shot that should
stick in your mind for years to come, with the accompanying music
(Very TITANIC-like (7/10), if you ask me. Hmmm...I wonder if
James Horner ever watched this cool flick?) icing the somber cake
over which it played. This film is definitely nacho material, and
lends itself greatly to newer condiments such as sour cream
and/or ketchup (for tomato fans). Overall, I would say that this
movie is a little overlong, authentically acted, wonderfully
shot, and quite suspenseful.
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars:
Co-writer of this script, Edward
Bunker is also known as Eddie Bunker, who
is also known as the actor who played Mr. Blue in RESERVOIR DOGS
(9/10). Eddie Bunker is a convicted bank robber, who was the
youngest convict ever to be sent to the San Quentin penitentiary
at the time of this conviction. At one time, he was on the FBI's
Ten Most Wanted List. He also makes an appearance in this film as
Jonah. The script was based on a story written by famed director Akira Kurosawa.
Eddie Bunker also acted in director Andrei Konchalovsky's 1989's film
TANGO & CASH.
Eric Roberts' famous sister is the PRETTY WOMAN (7.5/10) herself Julia Roberts. In
February, 1995, Eric was arrested and charged with spousal abuse.
Jon Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie, who in 1995
married "Sick Boy" from TRAINSPOTTING (8.5/10) Johnny Lee Miller
in a black rubber dress (she wore the dress, not him :)
(c) 1998 Berge Garabedian
Movie Reviews by Berge Garabedian