Runaway Train (1985)

Two escaped convicts and a female railway worker find themselves trapped on a train with no brakes and nobody driving.

Director:

Andrey Konchalovskiy (as Andrei Konchalovsky)

Writers:

Djordje Milicevic (screenplay), Paul Zindel (screenplay)

Stars:

Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Voight	...	Oscar 'Manny' Manheim
Eric Roberts	...	Buck McGeehy
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Sara
Kyle T. Heffner	...	Frank Barstow
John P. Ryan	...	Warden 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)

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

alaska | train | prisoner | freight train | fugitive | 

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Taglines:

The Ride Of Your Death...

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 January 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Escape en tren

Filming Locations:

Anaconda, Montana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,601,480, 6 December 1985, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$7,936,012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golan-Globus Productions, Northbrook Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to allmovie.com, the film "was slated as a project for Akira Kurosawa in 1970, but for various creative and scheduling reasons, it remained on the back burner for fifteen years."

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Goofs

Following the collision with the freight train, a long shot shows the runaway passing as debris rains down on and around it. As the third locomotive passes, a truck from the caboose bounces off the top, then bounces off the cab of the fourth locomotive without causing any damage. Such collision would have ripped open the cab of the fourth locomotive. The crash was filmed using scale models, which didn't sustain damage the way real locomotives would have.

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Quotes

Oscar "Manny" Manheim: I'm at war with the world and everybody in it.

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Alternate Versions

While the US and DVD version is missing the shot of the cop being pulled under the wheels of the train, it is included on the uncut Australian region 4 DVD from MGM and the UK DVD from Arrow Films

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Connections

Referenced in Inside No. 9: La Couchette (2015)

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Soundtracks

Gloria in D Major
by Antonio Vivaldi (as Vivaldi)
Performed by The USSR Academic Russian Chorus and the Moscow Conservatoire Students Orchestra

User Reviews

One of my alltime favourites.

This movie is just brilliant. The Oscar Mannheimer character has to be one of the hardest moviecharacters of alltime. I love the way Voight turns mental on numerous occasions, he's doing one hell of a job. Arguably his best ever role. Eric Roberts is almost as brilliant in portraying Buck. I find myself laughing at so many times during the course of this movie. It's not only funny though, it's also a movie of high suspense and some action. 10 out of 10. I say YEAH!