Films like “Runaway Train” have the title say everything. It of course has the train and the rule of thumb is high speed action by driving it on ridiculous speed unstoppable in its pursuit. Icing on the top, make the Engineer get heart attack and jump of the train just before he throttles to full speed. That is high tension action pounding time on our hearts skipping beats. “Runaway Train” is all of that and a lot more than that. It has the legendary adaptation from the screenplay written by Akira Kurosawa, director Andrei Konchalovsky and Jon Voight in a performance hard to get a grip on as an amicable person but shades of those in patches of creepy smiles.Manny (Jon Voight) barely is out from welded prison for three years breathing fresh air not out in the free society but in prison yard. His nemesis Warden Ranken (John P.Ryan) on hate and passion to keep Manny on leash did that lock down and Manny now has to flee out of the prison which more importantly associates to beating Ranken than the freedom. Buck (Eric Roberts) idolizing Manny is a boxer and takes a last minute decision on tagging with Manny to break out of the prison.
As most of the films tell that escaping the prison is easier because making it out from the natural fences is merciless and mean slow killer. The prison is situated in Alaska and it is not a good idea to be wandering outside below thirty Fahrenheit. Manny and Buck survive the cold walk to the train station and Manny picks the train to ride. As told before, the driver is out and these two riders have no idea that the train they are thinking as the messenger to freedom is hitting high hell.
Voight’s Manny is the mover and he is a tough man. In a prison boxing match Buck wins his opponent and looks up to Manny for acknowledgment. In that time, a man from behind attacks Manny stabbing in his arm and a hole straight through the palm of his hand. Manny stands fearless picks up the chair and hits his attacker hard. He knows that the man is now terrified and he gives out the Warden’s name who is watching from the top. Voight looks up and asks to shoot him and that scene is the differentiation of physical toughness of Buck and the actual fearless toughness of Manny. No wonder Buck considers him as his hero.
Then the usual happens where the kid talks too much and Manny does not like it but their relation is on and off bound in rubbing shoulders and smiling in content. Manny neither does love nor hate the kid because he is a loner and in all these rough years has made him to be individual undisturbed man as to train for him alone. He speaks what he feels not because he is mean but it is the crystal truth of undeniable factor. He is as solid as a rock and physical pain does not bother him on putting brakes on achieving his mission. Manny and Buck obviously are convicts and rooting for them is not in place but we begin to see the human in them. In these men of declared aggression and violence, the brotherhood is begged for in silence and shouts. Buck is like a puppy running around the legs of Manny. Yet he wants to be treated with respect and Manny gives a fierce stare. Buck realizes not alone does Manny care but his chance of getting it is by proving he would bend backwards.
“Runaway Train” unveils its supporting characters in Jonah (Edward Bunker) in initial scenes of prison and then the control station of the train system with the office environment going berserk through Barstow (Kyle T. Hefner), MacDonald (Kenneth McMillan) and Dave (T.K. Carter) banging heads for stopping the train. The technology is challenged and challenges the human judgment on these people on sudden chaos. And Ranken desperately begs god to not kill these convicts since he wants the pleasure. Then comes the woman on board (Rebecca De Mornay) out of nowhere in the train. Everything is happening for Buck and Manny and it is not the better things.
I have seen Voight play the old man roles in the current movies. The classic period of his reign is on the queue to be viewed. Most of the times, he comes as a clean white teeth villain with wise touches or plainly as a wise man. In Manny the balance is not alone perfected but is so unpredictable. Or to be precise more human than the stereotypes I expect out of in coming films. He is a rugged wrong doer who robbed banks and may have killed too and would not decide to that again if it beckons his win over Ranken. Being at a cell for three years has made him depend only one soul in this planet and that would be him. Seeing the kid tag along and also annoying him awakens his anger for ruining plans and in letting Buck near him for a good time uncovers a tiny bit of emotion too. Voight grins and grinds shouts and talks taciturn logics behind his Fu-Manchu moustache.
“Runaway Train” is alarmingly cold and has a metal sheath for its killer sword screenplay rubbing and sharpening it with constant usage written by Edward Bunker, Djordje Milicevic and Paul Zindel. Alan Hume’s camera hangs on around the train and an aerial shot zooming into this monster of devastating force. It has the wind chill on faces and window shots from the train on looking up for a realistic view from the train. The stunts are daring with nail biting cling on for a purpose and slip ups to stop a fraction of second in hearts. It is a film getting right just about on everything. That would have obviously made a good film but Jon Voight’s performance takes it to a classic.
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