Review of Runaway Train (1985) by Steve J — 13 Feb 2015

I'm glad I revisited this film after so many years, because I liked it a lot more this time around. Some clumsy dialogue and credulity-straining plot points hamper the overall impact, but it remains a rare example of an intelligent action film from the 1980s; it even has a strongly philosophical bent.

The performances are brilliant but thoroughly offbeat. More than once the film becomes humorous (but I'm reasonably certain this is intentional). The atmosphere of breakneck fatalism is harrowing and exhilarating, as maniac Jon Voight and his hotheaded young companion (Eric Roberts) break out of the high-security prison presided over by a constantly-grinning fascistic warden (John P.

Ryan, in an impressively unhinged turn). After trudging across miles of harsh snow-covered Alaskan wilderness they make the ill-advised decision to hop a train; as fate would have it, the conductor of said train suddenly keels over from a heart attack, leaving the two convicts and a young, inexperienced female engineer (Rebecca De Mornay) on board, hurtling ever faster toward a collision.

Meanwhile Ryan gives chase, giving ample proof that he's every bit as crazy and dangerous as the nihilistic Voight. This film is completely insane, but also intelligent. It balances conventional action-movie thrills with a valid inquiry into the human condition, offering more questions than answers (as a mature work of art should).

While its flaws keep it from achieving true greatness, there are moments of genius to be found here, most of them having to do with the preternaturally weird performances and the film's breathtaking visual style.

The central metaphor of the train speeding at a deadly pace through a frozen wasteland is realized in some of the most impressive and exciting film set pieces of the 80s. The screenplay was based on an abandoned script by Akira Kurosawa.