A visually beautiful, emotionally wrenching film, based on a screenplay by the great Akira Kurosawa. Some minor flaws necessitate the 2-star dock (8 out of a possible 10 awarded), but this is a film worth seeing. Jon Voight offers here perhaps his most powerful and impassioned role ever, playing a brutal and amoral convict on the escape from a maximum security prison. At points the plot stretches credulity, and the film offers some frequently stilted dialogue: forced and awkward, and too stereo-typically prison-convict-vulgarized--- but hey, maybe that's what the director wanted. It's a fantasy allegory, not a history film. Runaway Train, set on board a runaway locomotive in deeply frozen winter Alaska, partakes of a fantastically raw human and elemental energy. With Rebecca De Mornay, Eric Roberts and John P. Ryan.

Andrey Konchalovskiy's Runaway Train, based on a script by Akira Kurosawa, is a tour de force blizzard of action heroics, ponderous moments of thought provoking character interaction, and two blistering lead performances that have yet to this day to be topped. Jon Voight plays a convict who was, is and will always be a dysfunctional outsider, and he knows it. His ramshackle, crazy eyed stare and blood stirring, despair laden rants about his place in the world, or lack thereof, are spectacular. He orchestrates a white knuckle escape from the remote Alaskan prison he's been dumped in, with a young, bright eyed convict in tow (Eric Roberts). This is a landmark performance in Robert's staggering body of work. He plays Buck with a sunshiny, sweet disposition and makes him a genuinely likable puppy dog who lives moment to moment, free of the burden of consequence. Until Voight's jaded, brutally paternal influence sears his soul and spurs his loss of innocence. They're a wicked duo for this type of film, facing every challenge with equal parts reckless abandon and world weariness. As soon as the freight train they jump rails out of control, the film picks up speed for some truly breathless set pieces and stunt work that will leave you gasping. Rebecca De Mornay plays a tough railroad worker. Underrated character John P. Ryan plays the hell out of his prison warden role, wallowing in sickening self righteous malice and bullying sleaze. The heart of the film resides in a monologue that Voight shares with Roberts, about finding ones legitimate place in society and growing up. Roberts simple, childlike response visibly breaks Voight's heart as he realizes his tragic hypocrisy and unchangeable ways. It's a dynamite, time capsule moment that alone is worth a re watch. The pulpy nature of the films plot is steered into a profundity by the excellent introspective script, and the fact that the actors throw themselves headlong into their work, and nail every moment. A classic.

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.

Just watched this piece of dreck on one of the movie channels of The Vast Wasteland and was appalled at how truly bad it was. Glad that I didn't actually spend money to see this disaster in a theater.Implausible idea, weak and cartoonish script and dreadful acting (especially by hopelessly miscast Jon Voight). The only performer who put in a somewhat convincing role was Eric Roberts. Numerous situations were ridiculous and unlikely. Entire scenes that added nothing worthwhile to the narrative should have been left on the cutting room floor. Although this is supposed to be a thriller, there was surprisingly little suspense, just quite a bit of predictable going through the motions.I have to wonder who goes in for such mindless, contrived and amateurish fare. Filmic stupidity. There was absolutely no value in this turkey.