Review of Runaway Train (1985) by Rosco B — 18 Apr 2013

Upon spying the words `A Golan-Glebus` production above the titles, you could be forgiven for expecting a noisy, pea-brained actioner in the mould of the `Delta Force` flicks. Fortunately, you`d be wrong.

Granite-hard inmate Manny (Jon Voight) breaks out of his Alaskan prison with his young punk of a sidekick, Buck (Eric Roberts). Making their escape on a passing train, they discover the driver is dead, and are implored by the also stranded Sara (Rebecca De Mornay), a rail employee, to resolve matters. Thus begins a race against time worsened by the looming presence of Ranken (John P. Ryan) a veteran warden with a bitter, long-standing vendetta against Manny.

Based on an original screenplay by the legendary Akira Kurosawa (a great starting point), `Runaway Train` is a gripping, peril-strewn thriller with much to recommend it.

The central trio is superb: Voight a powerhouse as a brutal, troubled yet somewhat courageous protagonist spiralling into madness. Roberts also impresses as the youthful thug, hinting at a versatile potential that he never quite fulfilled. Rebecca De Mornay brings her customary edge and zeal to a character who could`ve degenerated into a stock damsel in distress in lesser hands. The action is superlative: raw, streamlined and unflinching. It comes as something of a welcome antidote to the overblown bombast of most action pictures from the era.

Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky - in his second American movie -works wonders with the raw materials and the intimidating, atmospheric Alaskan backdrop. A train ride well worth catching.