Tags
1980s, action thriller, Andrei Konchalovsky, Eric Roberts, Jon Voight, Movies, Rebecca De Mornay, Runaway Train
Runaway Train is a 1985 American action thriller film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and starring Jon Voight, Eric Roberts,Rebecca de Mornay and John P. Ryan. The screenplay was based on an original 1960s screenplay by Akira Kurosawa, with uncredited contributions by frequent Kurosawa collaborators Hideo Oguni and Ryuzo Kikushima. The film was also the feature debut of both Danny Trejo and Tommy “Tiny” Lister, who both proceeded to successful careers as “tough guy” character actors.
The story concerns two escaped convicts and a female assistant locomotive driver who are stuck on a runaway train as it barrels through snowy desolate Alaska. Voight and Roberts were both nominated for Academy Awards. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Kurosawa intended the original screenplay to be his first color film following Red Beard, but difficulties with the American financial backers led to its being shelved.