1985 Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky
A hardened convict and a younger prisoner escape from a brutal prison in the middle of winter only to find themselves on an out-of-control train with a female railway worker while being pursued by the vengeful head of security.
Jon Voight Eric Roberts Rebecca De Mornay Kyle T. Heffner John P. Ryan T.K. Carter Kenneth McMillan Stacey Pickren Walter Wyatt Edward Bunker Reid Cruickshanks Dan Wray Michael Lee Gogin John Bloom Hank Worden Danny Trejo Tom 'Tiny' Lister Jr. Dennis Franz John Otrin Norman Alexander Gibbs Dennis Ott Don Pugsley John Fountain Wally Rose John Richard Petersen William Tregoe
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Runaway Train is a film that absolutely fascinates me even beyond its undoubted excellence.
It was directed by Andrey Konchalovskiy, a filmmaker with a career so delightfully unpredictable in its quality and genres of choice. It received two acting Oscar nominations, despite being an action film, one of them for Eric Roberts of all people. It has a screenplay by Akira Kurosawa. Mr. Blue from Reservoir Dogs co-wrote it. And it was produced and distributed by Cannon Films. Cannon Films!
How the hell did this film come together?! Furthermore, how on earth did it turn out to be so good? It really has to be regarded as one of the minor miracles of 1980s cinema that it managed to become…
So how come none of y’all told me a Cannon action movie written by Akira Kurosawa starring an Oscar worthy Eric Roberts and Oscar-and-Best-Stache-of-the-80s worthy Jon Voight is a thing that existed and is a straight up masterpiece lmao
a tough-as-nails alaskan prison escape/train chase movie adapted from an akira kurosawa script (rewritten with some 70s crime grit by ed bunker) and directed by a russian filmmaker who regularly collaborated with tarkovsky... but also produced by cannon films and starring two gods of cinema jon voight and eric roberts in the goofy method acting zone as two oddball violent convicts who find themselves on the titular runaway train. (the voices! the screaming! CMON SUCKA!) resulting in this strange concoction of what at some point might’ve been artier, more philosophical material about an animalistic, regressive society rubbing up against its contradictory technological progress and experiencing a dangerous and liberating loss of control, that due to its production conditions has had…
(The Average Joe’s Movie Club Cast)
Two convicts have been dreaming of running towards freedom, but the one problem they have now is there is no way to stop!
"Boy, I guess you guys picked the wrong train."
I spotted Runaway Train on the top of a list of the most underrated movies on 1985, and was even more intrigued about it since it was one of the movies Akira Kurosawa wrote but was unable to get made. While the movie definitely has a grungy 80s feel to it, you can still pick out some of the thematic flourishes that Kurosawa was likely going for.
"You're an animal! ... No, worse! Human. Human!"
(Quick Hits) ... Spoilers:
- While Jon…
Two severely institutionalized men break out of prison and onto a runaway train, pitting man's bestial nature against his most powerful creation in the Cannon movie based on a screenplay by Akira Kurosawa that was nominated for two Oscars.
You, an ignorant sheep: Mr. Blue from Reservoir Dogs in this movie!
Me, darkly enlightened by grim and brutal truths: Eddie Bunker was the youngest man ever sent to San Quentin and one of the finest authors of our times.
A prison break out movie AND a train movie? Yes please. There's also an evil warden? Say no more. The prison parts of this movie are greatly elevated by the presence of and the script work done by the aforementioned Mr.…
A fun ride that is totally over the top. In addition, beautiful shots and recording locations. Jon Voight plays a very nebulous role - pretty much a parody of itself - that's worth watching the movie alone. Very aggressive overacting. Maybe it could’ve been a bit shorter and a bit more action packed. Also, the almost poetic ending and soundtrack are also worth a mention.
3rd Andrei Konchalovksy (after Shy People and Uncle Vanya)
Simply sublime Dad Cinema. Japanese underpinnings but with a Russian soul, Runaway Train is both a superb action thriller and a surprisingly moving character study. Originally a Akira Kurosawa script, it was eventually given a rewrite by a team that included none other than Edward Bunker, who had been a lifer in a number of California prisons before becoming a novelist. His fingerprints are evident most obviously in the prison segment of Runaway..., with incredible detail paid to the minute details of social interaction, including a boxing match that was the first performance of one Danny Trejo. It's this lived experience that makes it feel so authentic, especially the bond between…
Viewed with the Amazing Edith's *Collab Film Group*.
I had a million things I was going to say about this film, but instead, I'll just reference Ethan's wonderfully apt intro line and say--
I can confirm. I am a Dad.
"you know what a riot...
in a maximum security prison looks like?"
why doesn't anybody ever talk about Jon Voight's performance in this? and to me, Eric Roberts sounds like Matthew McConaughey here, ahah. Konchalovsky is so undervalued -- try to seek out his adaptation of Uncle Vanya as well if you can.
Not to be confused with the popular Soul Asylum song - Runaway Train sees Eric Roberts (second movie of his in the same week!) and John Voight as two convicts trying to escape out of prison just to get caught into a new one that may lead them to their death.
Having seen a vast majority of Akira Kurosawa movies, its just fascinating to picture the idea of the iconic director directing this film initially, or even coming with the idea for it (this was supposed to be his second colored movie after Red Beard). Nonetheless what we got is a great premise that's executed in a way that manages to entertain and thrill its audience by pulling the one-setting…
The 2018 Cult Movie Challenge
Week 16: Cannon Group Week
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Runaway Train is the perfect name for this movie because it is goddamn out of control. Cannon Films presents the story of two convicts who escape a maximum security prison in Alaska the way all good movie convicts do, through the sewer, and immediately jump from one shit situation into another when they hop a sparsely-populated train whose conductor has just keeled over from a heart attack.
Jon Voight plays Manny Manheim, a guy who about five minutes after getting out of a three year stint in solitary decides it's time to split from the joint for good. Manheim is played by Voight quite unlike any other character he's…
