Saturday 2 September 2023

Runaway Train (1984 Andrei Konchalovsky)

Konchalovsky worked with Tarkovsky, co-wrote Andrei Rublev and made arthouse films like his version of Uncle Vanya in 1970, then happily moved into more straightforward American fare with films like this, Maria's Lovers (Nastassja Kinsi, John Savage, Robert Mitchum) and a TV version of The Odyssey. More recently he's back in Russia making films like Dear Comrades (striking workers are massacred).

Two tough criminals (Jon Voight and Eric Roberts) escape from a maximum security prison and board a train, not realising the driver's had a heart attack. As it increases speed, they find out a female train employee (Rebecca de Mornay) is still on board. Brutal prison governor John P Ryan is in pursuit. Meanwhile Kyle T Hefner, TK Carter and Kenneth McMillan in the control room attempt to avoid a catastrophe.

More interesting than it appears. Great ending.


Shot by Alan Hume (Shirley Valentine, A Fish Called Wanda, A View To a Kill, For Your Eyes Only, many Carry Ons) in Alaska. Let down by a poor synthy score by Trevor Jones.

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