RUNAWAY TRAIN (1985: Dir. Andrei Konchalovsky)
Based on a screenplay by Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa, Runaway Train, was the second American film by expatriate Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky and given the time when it was made, must be seen to represent this filmmaker's metaphorical statement about the inevitable end of the U.S.S.R.. In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev had ascended to the chairmanship of the Communist Party and he brought with him new concepts of governance designated Perestroika (restructuring), and Glasnost (openess). Gorbachev's vision would emancipate the lives of average Soviets, gradually throwing off the shackles of a moribund political system. Konchalovsky, who had enjoyed a successful career making films in The Soviet Union, emigrated to the U.S. in 1980, and soon after was hired by Israeli producers Menachem Golan and Yoram Globus of Cannon Films, to make Maria's Lovers (1984), a critically acclaimed Yugoslavian-American immigrant love story. Their follow-up project was Runaway Train, and with its gulag-type setting in an Alaskan Prison, its dictatorial authority figues, and the lead role of an escaped convict played with a Russian bear-like intensity by Jon Voight, the obvious parallels with Konchalovsky's homeland are more than evident. Brilliantly structured to emphasize its thrilling genre pleasures, Konchalovsky carefully rolls out his existential themes, gearing up to an emotionally stirring climax when the liberated prisoners find themselves on an out of control speeding train. The final image of Voight's tragically bestial convict is depicted by the director with an exhilarating ferocity, an indelible image of a human being yearning for freedom. Riding a wave of enthusiastic reviews, the film enjoyed moderate box office success and garnered three Academy Award nominations, including Best Actor for Jon Voight, whose career was rejuvenated by this unforgettably visceral performance. Like the films' protagonists, the people of the Soviet Union would soon escape their oppressive Communist society, but their innate need for authoritarian leadership would lead them to another kind of despotic system under Vladimir Putin. The train may have left the station but it has yet to arrive at an unrestricted destination. DVD & BLU-RAY
NARROW MARGIN (1990: Dir. Peter Hyams)
Finally, we come to a very personal favourite of the train films on this list, Peter Hyams' remake of Richard Fleischer's 1952 film noir The Narrow Margin. By no means the most exciting, best written or the best directed of the films I have chosen, it is simply the most Canadian. Set mostly on a VIA train travelling through British Columbia, the film tells the story of a mob murder witness (Anne Archer), being brought back to the U.S. to testify, under the protection of an ordinary Los Angeles D.A. (Gene Hackman). Having enjoyed countless trips on VIA trains throughout Canada, I am very familiar with the interiors and fixtures of the various carriages, so I was most excited and gratified to see a Canadian train authentically portrayed on the big screen. As the on board action unfolds, all of my fond memories were represented, from the crisp white uniforms of cabin attendants, to the practical coziness of the sleeping compartments, and the art deco formality of the dining car. Essentially an exciting potboiler, Narrow Margin, succeeds on the caliber of its very strong supporting cast, including Canadian actors Susan Hogan and Nigel Bennett, as well as charismatic character faces like J.T. Walsh, Harris Yulin and James B. Sikking. The film also features spectacular scenery of the Canadian Rockies breathtakingly captured in Panavision by director-cinematographer Peter Hyams. Pure nostalgia for VIA train lovers like myself and solid entertainment for anyone else. DVD REGION 1 & 2
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