35 YEARS AGO: RUNAWAY TRAIN

I was going to post something on Heat being 25 years old this week, but everyone knows about Heat and it gets the recognition it deserves.  Less appreciated is manly classic Runaway Train (1985) which was released 35 years ago.

Although the film was as critically well received upon release as it is held now, the movie was a box office bomb, garnering only $7 million from a $9 million budget.

But Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky created a classic.  We have some fucking real men in this show!

I mean, is it sane practice for the Warden of a prison to hang off a helicopter at 200 feet above a train, in an attempt to catch an inmate to murder him?  Probably not, and that’s part of the fun here. This is a gritty film.  Other than the correlation between Voight’s character and the runaway train, it’s relatively honest.  I like that the Warden is openly enjoying the chase and plans to kill off his opponent. And that the cons are just cons, too.  They haven’t been wronged or are seeking justice and are basically enjoying the ride.  The discussion on how to use their freedom is limited.

When presented with the idea of cleaning toilets for a living, Roberts responds with “Not me!  No way, I’d rather go to fucking jail.”