Runaway Train (1985)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Manny	Jon Voight	½
Buck	Eric Roberts
Sara	Rebecca De Mornay
Frank Barstow	Kyle T. Heffner	½
Warden Ranken	John P. Ryan	½
Dave Prince	T. K. Carter
Eddie MacDonald	Kenneth McMillan
Ruby	Stacey Pickren
Boxer	Danny Trejo
Jackson	Tommy 'Tiny' Lister

Review

In the 1980s, art was cold and detached. Here is the pinnacle of how these elements could enhance the expression, in contrast to several films in which the aloofness gave the films a sense of dehumanisation. In the timeless Runaway Train, director Andrei Konchalovsky uses a seemingly dehumanised starting point (two convicts in a remote maximum security prison) and makes their world and mentality – an alleged animalized existence – seem very close and tangible. It is an allegoric film of existential proportions, given life by Konchalovsky's acrimonious images and Trevor Jones' suggestive score, but at the same time, Runaway Train is one of the most successful realizations of the action film model. Here, the action (notably in a remarkable finale) accentuates the larger and symbolic value of the story instead of standing in its way. And the power and timelessness of the story makes Runaway Train a film which can more than endure the march of time, despite the odd contemporary slip-up. The performances are stylistic powerhouses, with Voight arguably giving his final substantial role to date and Roberts hitting career high (perhaps tied with It's My Party)