Thoughts on Runaway Train

 

via Time

"Hey, look. Look here."
"What?"
"There's my limousine to Broadway right there."
"Why? ... Why that one?"
"'Cause I want it."

Patience is definitely a virtue. Runaway Train, starring Jon Voight, Eric Roberts and Rebecca De Mornay, was the first viewing assignment in a long while that I was tempted to abort. I wasn't sure how I'd make it through a movie with Voight and especially Roberts playing to the cheap seats, each man's thick dialect occasionally doing the heavy lifting. For that matter, I wasn't exactly thrilled to be watching a Voight movie considering his public image in recent years. I'm glad I hung around. While Train never sheds its ludicrous qualities, it does prove its worth as both a thriller and a character study.

"Manny" Manheim (Voight) and Buck McGeehy (Roberts), escapees from an Alaskan prison, end up aboard an aged train that's lost its engineer and has no way of slowing down as it cruises through the wilderness. The men aren't alone, being joined by railroad employee Sara (De Mornay). Meanwhile, in civilization, dispatch designer Barstow (Kyle T. Heffner), dispatcher Prince (T.K. Carter) and boss MacDonald (Kenneth McMillan) try to figure out solution that'll cause the least collateral damage. And, of course, there's also Associate Warden Ranken (John P. Ryan) on the convicts' trail.

Directed by Andrey Konchalovsky, Train has about as many writers as it does plot elements. The story was by Akira Kurosawa. The script was by Djordje Millicevic, Paul Zindel and Edward Bunker. There was also script doctoring by Hideo Oguni and Ryuzo Kikushima. While it does take longer than I'd have liked for Manny and Buck to get on the train, I'll also say the writers, actors and Konchalovsky did an excellent job of establishing the dynamic between the two men. When Buck, Manny and Sara are emotionally destroyed after Manny's self-serving nature nearly gets Buck killed, it's genuinely moving.

"I thought you was my friend. ... I thought we was partners. Shit. You know ... you're worse than Ranken when the truth comes out. At least he's up front with his bullshit. ... You was a hero. ... You was a hero to all of us back in that shithole. Goddamn. Oh, Manny. Manny." 

Roberts, in a 2013 interview with the A.V. Club, said he changed Buck's characterization from a New York street kid to a sweet Southern guy. He wanted to contrast with Voight in multiple ways, from how they sounded to whether or not they'd be able to make a new beginning. Contrived? Yes, but it plays better than it sounds. The same goes for De Mornay's interactions with Voight and Roberts. Sara is smart enough to be terrified of what Manny's capable of, but also to somewhat understand and pity him. She seeks comfort from Buck, but I doubt either (well, jury's out on Buck) would confuse it for love. 

I have to give credit where it's due. Train would not be as good as it is without Voight. He's excellent as Manny, both a magnetic figure for the likes of Buck but also an older man acknowledging the one-way direction his life has taken. I almost went with dialogue from the "clean that spot" monologue, because I liked how Voight played it, with the knowledge of what could have been. At the same time, he doesn't get too maudlin, which provides a nice contrast with Train's increasingly somber attitude. This pays off big time in the finale. If Manny has to die, he's embracing it. That, and he's taking Ranken with him.

Train, in addition to being an engaging drama, is also visually appealing. The sight of the train making its journey will not soon be forgotten. In a way, it's like Voight and Roberts' performances. They and the train are unyielding, so you either accept it or get out of the way. All aboard.

"I don't believe this shit! We get out of a maximum security prison and wind up on an unmanned train with this bitch and bad news."

"... You guys bust out of Stonehaven?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Man! Why'd you tell her that?"

"You told her, clown. What difference does it make? She going to drop a dime on us?"

"Boy, I guess you guys picked the wrong train."

Recommended.

Thoughts:

-- "... Manny, shut it down, that's all you've got to do!" "He knows what he wants to do!"

-- Box Office: Grossing nearly $7.7 million on a $9 million budget, this came in at No. 100 for 1985.

-- Critic's Corner: "Wrenchingly intense and brutally powerful," Variety raved. Roger Ebert: "This isn't a high-tech Hollywood adventure movie, but a raw saga that works close to the floor." It was "excessively brutal" for David Denby, who also felt "some of the acting is of the unwatchable, gloating-into-the-camera variety." Voight was singled out by Janet Maslin for giving a viciously intense performance, albeit in "such a vigorous but disjointed film."

-- Awards Watch: Voight and Roberts were nominated for both Oscars and Golden Globes, with Voight winning the latter. The movie also received an Oscar nomination for its editing, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture -- Drama, a Palme d'Or nomination at Cannes and a Stuntman Awards nomination for Best Vehicular Stunt.

-- Roberts: "... the reason why (the Oscar nominations were) so unexpected was that it was a Golan-Globus production, dude. Those things don't get nominated for anything except Best Joke."

-- Hey, It's 1985!: Konchalovsky was perhaps more famous at the time for appearing under a pseudonym in Shirley MacLaine's Dancing in the Light. At least it was a pseudonym until Ebert spilled the beans. Kirkus Reviews on Konchalovsky: "The man is temperamental, demanding and silly, but (Shirley) has a different perspective on his behavior, attributing it to the need of his former incarnations to resolve differences in this lifetime." 

-- Memorable Music: The score is 46-44, still favoring songs written for movies. I'm giving a point to the usage of Vivaldi's "Gloria in D Major."

-- Fanservice Junction: Roberts rocked the hell out of a pair of boxing trunks.

-- Hey, It's ...!: Danny Trejo, Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Carmen Filpi and Dennis Franz.

-- "No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity." "But I know none, and therefore am no beast."

-- Next: White Nights, Rocky IV. On deck: One Magic Christmas, Santa Claus: The Movie. Coming soon: Spies Like Us.