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showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsRunaway Train (1985) More at IMDbPro »
| Videos (see all 3) |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Djordje Milicevic (screenplay) &
Paul Zindel (screenplay) ...
more
Release Date:
6 December 1985 (USA) more
Tagline:
Once it starts, nothing can stop it! more
Plot:
Two escaped convicts and a female railway worker find themselves trapped on a train with no brakes and nobody driving. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Eric Roberts: The Hollywood Interview
(From The Hollywood Interview. 2 November 2009, 10:23 AM, PST)
'Bruno' Star Sacha Baron Cohen Is Just One Of Hollywood's Top Cinematic Chameleons
(From MTV Movies Blog. 14 July 2009, 12:30 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
a knock-out! more (104 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Jon Voight | ... | Manny | |
| Eric Roberts | ... | Buck | |
| 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 | |
| Walter Wyatt | ... | Conlan | |
| Edward Bunker | ... | Jonah | |
| Reid Cruickshanks | ... | Al Turner (as Reid Cruikshanks) | |
| Dan Wray | ... | Fat Con | |
| Michael Lee Gogin | ... | Short Con | |
| John Bloom | ... | Tall Con | |
| Hank Worden | ... | Old Con (as Norton E. 'Hank' Warden) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
111 min
Language:
Color:
Color (Rankcolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Canada:18A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-18 | Norway:16 (cut) | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
In preparing for the role of Manny, Jon Voight spent time with prisoners in San Quentin prison. He remained in contact with some of them for years afterwards. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Barstow and MacDonald are arguing about derailing the train, Barstow's sweater disappears between shots. more
Quotes:
Jonah:
[while watching Buck boxing] The Kid can fight.
Manny:
That's worth about 2 dead flies
more
Movie Connections:
Edited into Con Express (2002) (V) more
Soundtrack:
'Gloria' in D Major by Vivaldi more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (104 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Runaway Train (1985)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Greatest prison movies | stderr |
| Ultimate Favourite Line from? | rpdevo-2 |
| Trailer | rbdavies86 |
| A couple of things I noticed | tokyostreetkiller |
| Accent | d98mp |
| John Voight's best? | linde-karl |
Recommendations
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| Escape from New York | The Phantom Rider | The Fugitive | Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc. | Vengeance - and the Woman |
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| News articles | IMDb Action section | IMDb USA section |
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Everything about this film has a surreal, visceral, in-your-face quality; the anguished, violent intensity of the prison scenes, the frozen wastelands of the lands outside the prison (gee, a metaphor?), the train -- not just a lifeless machine but a huge, juggernaut-like beast -- that the title refers to, the fierce, animalistic performance by Jon Voight, who plays the character of Manny with such raw emotion and conviction that at no moment do we doubt that he is anything other than what he appears to be on screen.
It's based on a screenplay by the legendary Akira Kurosawa -- knowing this makes a lot of the elements a bit more familiar; the snow, the hopelessness, the apocalyptic atmosphere -- and it's directed by Russian Andrei Konchalovsky, who after this film directed two Hollywood embarrassments called "Homer & Eddie" and "Tango & Cash" (apparently trying to corner the market on ampersands), and most recently helmed the acclaimed Armand Assante mini-series "The Odyssey" for television. "Runaway Train" is not a perfect film, some of the minor supporting performances are really awful and some viewers may find Eric Roberts to be irritating, but the sheer kineticism, among the other stronger elements, makes it worthwhile. Often called an intellectual action picture, it's more of an existential one, i.e. man versus a indifferent/hostile universe, etc. Everything in the film has a greater, more universal meaning, and it's not rocket science to figure out what stands for what. The simplicity of its metaphors doesn't dull the impact of "Runaway Train" as a sensory experience, though, because it's still pretty potent stuff. Provided you're not completely close-minded, this is one you'll remember for a long, long time.