Runaway Train (1985)
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Two escaped convicts and an assistant locomotive driver find themselves trapped on a runaway train barreling through the Alaskan wilderness.
The story
Oscar "Manny" Manheim, a bank robber and hero to the convicts of Alaska's Stonehaven Maximum Security Prison, is forced out of solitary confinement. Planning a third breakout, Manny recruits a young prisoner named Buck McGeehy. The two men escape through a sewer tunnel and steal railroad clothing to board a train consisting only of four locomotives. However, the elderly railroad engineer suffers a heart attack, causing the train to become an unmanned runaway. As the train accelerates, the fugitives discover they are stuck on board a vehicle moving too fast to jump, forced to find a way to stop the locomotive before it reaches a disastrous derailment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Oscar "Manny" Manheim, a bank robber and hero to the convicts of Alaska's Stonehaven Maximum Security Prison, is forced out of solitary confinement by a court order. Planning a third breakout, Manny recruits a young prisoner named Buck McGeehy. The two men escape through a sewer tunnel and steal railroad clothing to board a train consisting of four locomotives. The elderly engineer, Al, suffers a heart attack and dies, but his attempt to brake disables the dead man's switch, leaving the train unmanned and accelerating. Dispatchers alert the authorities, but the train smashes into a freight train, damaging the cab and jamming the front door. The fugitives are discovered by Sara, a locomotive hostler, who explains the train is out of control. They manage to slow the train by disconnecting cables between engines. Realizing the train will derail at a nearby chemical plant, the dispatchers divert it to a dead-end branch line. After an armed face-off between the convicts, the Warden arrives in a helicopter. Manny makes a perilous leap to the lead engine, confronts the Warden, and handcuffs him. Choosing death over prison, Manny uncouples the lead engine from the rest of the train, leaving the others to coast to a stop. He waves goodbye to Buck and Sara before climbing onto the roof in the freezing snow to embrace his freedom and incoming death.
- First release year
- 1985
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Andrei Konchalovsky
- Writers
- Djordje Milicevic · screenplay; Paul Zindel · screenplay; Edward Bunker · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jon Voight · Oscar "Manny" Manheim; Eric Roberts · Buck McGeehy; Rebecca De Mornay · Sara; Kyle T. Heffner · Frank Barstow; John P. Ryan · Ranken; T. K. Carter · Dave Prince; Kenneth McMillan · Eddie MacDonald; Stacey Pickren · Ruby
- Genres
- action; thriller; disaster; prison; survival
- Themes
- survival; freedom; civilization out of control
- Tone and mood
- adrenaline-fueled; existential; crude energy
- Premise and plot tags
- prison break; runaway train; survival; action thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- An original 1960s screenplay by Akira Kurosawa.
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics but was a box office disappointment.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 84% · review count: 37
- Production trivia
- The film was the feature debut of both Danny Trejo and Tommy "Tiny" Lister.; The film was inspired by a 1963 Life magazine article by Warren Young about a runaway train.; The film inspired the 1994 movie Speed.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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