It may be more than 20 years since this tough, taut thriller was first released, but it's still a gripping ride that rarely comes off the rails.
The premise is simple. Manny (Jon Voight) is incarcerated for life in a maximum security prison, isolated in the snowy wastes of Alaska. The jail is nigh impossible to escape from, but surprisingly Manny, along with fellow prisoner, Buck (Eric Roberts) succeed. Their delight is short-lived though; having escaped, the prisoners now need to survive. Frankly in this nightmare world of snow, ice and bitter winds, their chances look pretty slim, unless they can make a difficult trek to a locomotive depot and hitch a ride on a train. Against all odds, the pair reach the depot and clamber aboard the locomotive. And that's where their troubles really begin...
The train pulls out from the depot's sidings, and gradually accelerates, reaching breakneck speed. It turns out that the driver has suffered a fatal heart attack and the train is now racing out of control through the icy wilderness. It takes a while for Manny and Buck to clock what's going on, and all hell breaks loose when they do. The duo - together with a train engineer (Rebecca De Mornay) - find themselves trapped on the runaway train. A tremendous three-way physical battle and psychological drama develops, played out against a dynamic background of collapsing railway bridges and train crashes.
Back at the prison, the vindictive warden (Kyle T. Heffner) has taken the escape very personally indeed. The railroad signalmen are powerless to stop the train, so he pursues the prisoners in a helicopter, intent on revenge...
Voight is quite superb as violent mad-dog Manny, Roberts puts in a great performance as the dumb and equally violent Buck, DeMornay provides solid support, acting as a buffer between the two men, while Barstow is decidedly chilling. A tremendous, must-see thriller.
Runaway Train is a Film programme that first aired in 1985 and has been classified a 18 certificate.
