Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Runaway Train Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 18, 2021

Andrei Konchalovsky's "Runaway Train" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; audio commentary by star Eric Roberts and critics David Del Valle and C. Courtney Joyner; archival episode of Trailers From Hell with director Rod Lurie; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

I ain't coming back, man.

The main protagonists in Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky's Runaway Train could not be any more different. The first two we meet in a maximum security prison somewhere in Alaska. Manny (Jon Voight, Midnight Cowboy) is an aging bank robber who has recently spent three years locked in solitary confinement. He doesn’t like to talk much, but when he does everyone listens. The second protagonist is Buck (Eric Roberts, The Pope of Greenwich Village, The Specialist), a young country bumpkin who loves to talk and throw good punches. He is also a convicted rapist who takes care of everyone’s laundry.

Buck agrees to help Manny escape after he gets stabbed during a boxing match. He hides Manny in his laundry cart and gets him to the prison’s sewers. There he decides to join Manny despite the fact that he does not have the right clothes to survive in the Alaskan backwoods. Manny shows him how to wrap up his body in nylon to keep warm. (Apparently, the body must be greased really well).

Manny and Buck end up at a secluded depot where they jump on a freight train heading south. But immediately after the train begins moving, the engineer suffers a heart attack and dies. Then something happens to the breaks and the train becomes unmanageable.

This is where we meet the third protagonist. Sara (Rebecca De Mornay, Guilty as Sin, Never Talk to Strangers) is a maintenance worker who has been taking a nap in one of the train’s four locomotives. She wakes up when the train is already hundreds of miles away from the depot. Somehow she manages to get to the opposite end of the train where Manny and Buck are beginning to suspect that there is something very wrong with their “limousine to Broadway”.

Based on a script by the great Akira Kurosawa, Runaway Train is a fast yet unusually beautiful action film with a terrific atmosphere. There are some great old-school special effects in it as well, making many of the key sequences looking incredibly authentic.

What makes Runaway Train different from most other action films from the same era is the fact that it is also a great character study film. Manny, Buck and Sara see the world they live in ways that essentially define who they are. But after they slowly begin to realize that they may never get out of the train alive, they begin to reevaluate “right” and “wrong”. Their clashes over the beliefs they’ve attached to them are just as spectacular as the big crashes in the film. There is one very angry statement, in particular, which Manny delivers in the final third of the film that is simply extraordinary. (In a brand new video interview included on this Blu-ray disc, director Konchalovsky states that Voight apparently scripted it without his help).

The film also has a certain poetic beauty that cannot be described with simple words. It is an integral part of Konchalovsky’s style and is very prominent in his early work. Anyone who has seen his brilliant Siberiade (1979) will immediately be able to recognize it in Runaway Train.

Runaway Train was lensed by British cinematographer Alan Hume, who prior to assisting Konchalovsky collaborated with John Glen on Octopussy and A View to a Kill. The film’s terrific ambient soundtrack was created by South African composer Trevor Jones (Michael Mann’s The Last of the Mohicans, Alan Parker's Angel Heart).

*In 1986, Runaway Train earned three Oscar nominations, including Best Actor in a Leading Role (Jon Voight) and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Eric Roberts).

Runaway Train Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Runaway Train arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

I have only one other release of Runaway Train in my library. It is a Region-B release which Arrow Video produced in 2013 and we reviewed here. Kino Lorber's release is advertised as being sourced from a new 2K master, so I did a number of direct comparisons between these releases. Here are my impressions:

First, now the film certainly looks different, but in many ways still very similar as well. For example, I did not see any any substantial improvements in the grain scheme. In fact, excluding the effects of some color adjustments, which I will address below, many close-ups look virtually identical (see screencapture #1). Fluidity is extremely similar as well. The film looks marginally but noticeably darker now, and in many darker areas some native nuances actually appear flattened. The effect can be described as crushing as well. On the other hand, highlights are handled better on this release, so the small splashes of white that pop up in panoramic shots on the Region-B release are avoided (see screencpture #5). Color values are largely the same, but because of the improvements with the highlights and adjustments in the darker areas the overall balance is slightly different. Image stability is the same. Also, I saw many of the same specks, blemishes, and minor dirt spots that are present on the other release. There are absolutely no traces of problematic digital corrections. So, the film looks different here, but considering the discrepancies I mentioned above not necessarily better. This said, I still think that the overall quality of the presentation is very, very pleasing. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Bu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Runaway Train Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

As you probably know already, Runaway Train has a very atmospheric soundtrack that does a lot of special things to enhance the suspense and drama. I think that the lossless track handles it and the action footage very well, but now that we have started seeing some pretty incredible new Dolby Atmos tracks for catalog releases, my gut is telling me that there is room for meaningful improvements. Dynamic intensity is fine, but when the guitar solos kick in I think that there can be even better ranges of dynamic nuances, fuller unique timbres as well. The dialog is clean, sharp, stable, and easy to follow.

Runaway Train Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Runaway Train. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 480/60i).

• Radio Spots - a couple of vintage radio spots for Runaway Train. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Trailers From Hell - a short commentary by director Rod Lurie (The Last Castle, The Contender), who quickly addresses the distribution history of Runaway Train, the Akira Kurosawa connection, and the cast. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by star Eric Roberts and critics David Del Valle and C. Courtney Joyner. Roberts shares plenty of information about the shooting of the film in Alaska and the rewriting of the original screenplay (as well as Akira Kurosawa's connection), the casting of Danny Trejo for the boxing match, Jon Voight's performance and the shooting of the action footage, the Oscar nominations, etc. It is an awesome, extremely informative commentary, so if you like the film please find the time to listen to it in its entirety. I guarantee you will enjoy it.

Runaway Train Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I am glad that Birdman of Alcatraz was brought up and compared to Runaway Train in the audio commentary that is included on this release because I always thought that the latter is a vastly superior film. It is not just the realism that makes Runaway Train so much more convincing, but the quality of the acting as well. And yes, the commentators are correct to describe Runaway Train as the jewel of Cannon Films, too. (If you like the film, please find the time to listen to the entire commentary because it is terrific. I guarantee you will appreciate the information that is shared in it and enjoy every minute of it). Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a fine new 2K master. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.