Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Sorry, this movie sucks

So much average

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Indeed a fine piece, from the era when action movies were taken over by the likes of Schwarzenegger or Stallone. But the production company seemed to completely ignore this fact, and have chosen to base their movie on an old Akira Kurosawa screenplay. Risky choice, but as we know it didn't paid off - it was the last Northbrook film, and the Cannon-Golan companies didn't last much longer either. So Runawy Train might have been a financial failure, but I'd call it an artistic success. The technical specs doesn't show that it was shot on some kind of special equipment, but the way they captured the snowy landscape is still a masterpiece. If someone appreciates this kind of detail, it's definitely a must-watch movie (in the digitally renewed version, if possible). Otherwise the story is good too - not as much action, craziness and twists as in other 80s productions, but it has a tasty outcome between the good guy and the bad guy - probably Kurosawa would have done it better, but I really can't blame the directors for every little mistake. The last strong point of this movie is probably the cast, however - some might find Eric Roberts and a few supporting actors a bit irritating sometimes. Anyways, Jon Voight is at his best here. Unfortunately, other aspects of the movie seemed to be rather mediocre - very generic music choices, dull stunts and decorations, strange cuts. But those only play a minor part in the big picture, so I can recommend Runaway Train to anybody, who's just after a little entertainment.

The cinematography is good, the action is fantastic, and the music is excellent but characters and their actions are the weakest part of the movie. Nearly every choice the people make seem like the worst on and motivations seem conflicting and confusing. Manny and his partner are mostly unlikeable and basically insufferable. Manny's choice at the end and the death of the warden are frustrating and feels like an undeserved victory for him.

Yeah, it is an action-adventure type film, but it is one of the most powerful ones. It will take you to the depth of human existence, you will ask what is the meaning of all these. What is the difference between the winner and the loser? What is the difference between the cop and the criminal? There is no difference in the wider perspective. The fate is same, they are doomed to the same end after all the fight, no one wins. This ending was the most fitting one. There could not be anything better than this. The realization comes from isolation in the compartment of runaway train. It is an amazing character study. The three human beings are forced to look deep into the abyss of human nature in the most trying situation, being pushed to the brink of life and death.

This classic film rates as one of the finest train-themed features, action spectacles, and character studies ever committed to celluloid. It manages that special combination of being stimulating on both an existential and visceral level, making it fine viewing indeed. The acting is top notch, with Jon Voight in one of the most interesting roles of his career. Andrei Konchalovsky directs with style and intelligence, making the train in this story a character in its own right and using the time spent on it as a period of reflection and self-examination. Certainly "Runaway Train" is an extremely prestigious production for Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus, and the Cannon Group, which for the most part was cranking out pure entertainment during the 1980s.Voight plays Oscar "Manny" Manheim, hardened veteran convict who breaks out of an isolated maximum security prison located in Alaska. His tag along is an annoying young chatterbox, Buck McGeehy (Eric Roberts) who idolizes Manny, as do many of the other prisoners. They hop a train only for the engineer to have a heart attack and fall off, leaving the train barrelling nonstop through the Alaskan countryside. Tailing them is associate warden Ranken (the great, under-rated character actor John P. Ryan ("It's Alive")), who's hellbent on recapturing them.It's always a treat to see the old school thrill rides like this which were done practically, without resorting to digital enhancement. The film is unrelentingly tense and gripping every step of the way, running an hour and 52 minutes but very much flying along, just like its title vehicle. It's based on an unused screenplay by the legendary Akira Kurosawa, which got adapted for American audiences by author / playwright Paul Zindel and Djordje Milicevic and then polished by ex-con turned author, screenwriter, and actor Edward Bunker (who appears in the film as Jonah). Voight is a force of nature as the intimidating Manny, and he and Roberts do play off each other very well. Rebecca De Mornay, severely deglamorized here, adds another touch of humanity playing a railroad employee who shares their precarious situation. Ryan is lots of fun as the antagonist, and offering additional solid support are Kyle T. Heffner ("Flashdance"), T.K. Carter ("The Thing"), and Kenneth McMillan ("Dune"). And recognize that boxer and prison guard? They're played by Danny Trejo and Tommy 'Tiny' Lister, then relative newcomers to film.This one truly deserves peoples' attention. It's too good to pass up. And it ends in the best possible way, with one hell of a final image.10 out of 10.