Runaway Train [DVD]

Great drama loaded movie, I never heard of this movie til I spotted it here on Amazon and bought it. 5 stars of action and drama for sure.

Perfect. Thanks.

When I first saw this movie in the theaters many years ago, my wife and I were seated a few minutes late, and didn't see the opening credits, and I didn't know anything about this movie, because it wasn't the one we intended to see. But the movie we wanted to watch was sold out, and so, we walked in a little late, and I have to tell you , it took me about a half hour before I even realized this was Jon Voight! Don't be fooled by his photo on the DVD cover, in the movie, he has extensive face prosthetics, and various teeth prostheses, and that combined with a weird accent, and he literally becomes the hard bitten character in the movie.And what we get is an amazing film directed by famous Russian director , Andrei Konchalovsky, which not only features Jon Voight, in the performance of a lifetime, but also a standout performance by Eric Roberts, and the then unknown actress, Rebecca DeMornay.......DeMornay is made to look like a boy in this film, but as we all know, she went on to become a famous sex symbol in later work.But what Konchalovsky does in this film is plumb deep into the human soul, and it becomes a scathing revealment of the inner workings of the 3 main characters, as they have to share a dire situation together, being on the titular runaway train.On their trail is the sadistic warden of the prison they broke out of, played with zeal with the legendary John P. Ryan, and the confrontation between himself and Voight's character becomes almost a metaphorical conflict, where the lines of who is good and who is evil, are blurred.the Wilderness scenery , combined with the camera angles of the huge quadruple locomotive, gives an awesome sense of power pitted against the backdrop of the barren Alaskan landscape, and it is filmed to perfection by Konchalovsky.This is an art film, as much as a nail biting adventure film, and it is so strikingly real, that is almost plays like a documentary. It shows you just what film making can be all about when everything comes together to perfection: acting, writing, direction, etc......It is memorable and extremely emotional by the end.......

Of course the movie deserves 4 stars, however I wish I could say the same for the DVD. What does it take for DVD company to release each DVD enhanced for 16x9 TVs? Nothing!Recently I bought a SONY BRAVIA 32 INCH display and I have a collection of over 600 Dvds. I learned now about "Enhanced for 16x9 TVs" and how important it is, I did not care about it or even know about it since I own a standard TV, however all my Dvds are Region 1 and in widescreen, I never buy fullscreen Dvds. So I did an inventory on my collection and realized the following:Out of 600+ Dvds, 42 are NOT enhanced for 16x9 TVs and they really look horrible when I played them on my PC. Anyway, according to my inventory.THE FOLLOWING MOVIES / COMPANY HAVE FAILED TO PRODUCE ANAMORPHIC OR 16X9 WIDESCREEN and I hope that these company will release them in the near future so that we can enjoy them on our TVs.MGM:Runaway TrainGraduateNo Way OutPrizzi's HonorFXShallow GraveThiefHouse Of GamesDead Man WalkingMiseryThe Eye Of The NeedleOverboardPARAMOUNT:Private Parts48 HrsComing To AmericaPrimal FearThe Ghost And The DarknessBreakdownUNIVERSAL:Day Of The JackalPsycho (AVAILABLE IN THE RECENT HITCHCOCK'S BOXSET AS ANAMORPHIC)Vertigo (AVAILABLE IN THE RECENT HITCHCOCK'S BOXSET AS ANAMORPHIC)The GameFOX:Abyss (I WAS SHOCKED TO LEARN THAT MY 2-DISC IS NOT ANAMORPHIC, NOR IS THE LATEST DIGIPACK EDITION)Raising ArizonaThe EdgeGreat ExpectationsRising SunThe RefRomancing The StoneThe Jewel Of The NileARTISAN:House Of The SpiritsThe Last SeductionThe Last EmperorThe Eagle Has LandedBoundPS: PLEASE ARTISAN, INSTEAD OF RELEASING 'BASIC INSTINCT' FOR THE 4TH TIME, WHICH MOST HAVE ALMOST THE SAME SPECIFICATIONS, CONSIDER RELEASING SOME MORE INTERESTING MOVIES WITH PROPER ATTENTION SUCH AS THOSE MENTIONED ABOVE.TOUCHSTONE / WALT DISNEY:RansomWhat About Bob?PS: IT IS A GREAT NEWS THAT TOUCHSTONE ARE RELEASING 'ENEMY OF THE STATE', CRIMSON TIDE' AND 'CON AIR' IN EXTENDED UNRATED EDITIONS ON MAY 16. I WISH THOUGH THEY DID THE SAME WITH 'RANSOM'WARNER:91/2 WeeksPresumed InnocentNOTE THAT WARNER STUDIO IS RELEASING ONE OF THE BEST 2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION SUCH AS 'SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION', 'HEAT', 'MALCOLM X', 'DOG DAY AFTERNOON', 'ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN' AND MANY MANY MORE.The reason why they don't release every DVD in widescreen enhanced for 16x9 is beyond me since soon Widescreen Tvs will replace standard ones.IT IS A RELIEF THAT AMAZON IS NOW STATING WHETHER THE DVD IS ANAMORPHIC OR LETTERBOXED.

Jon Voight knocks it out of the park as a convict welded into his prison cell. He was nominated for an Oscar for this one.Also if you’re a fan of prison movies and trains, you’ll love this!

Great movie with two great cast.

Jon voight won an award for this movie, it's a really good adventure movie.Classic Golan globus from cannon films

Arrow Films has knocked it out of the park again with this release! Awesome set featuring a great booklet with some VERY interesting on-set photos, interviews, and a reprint of the ORIGINAL runaway train story from the 1940s! The high point has to be the interviews with director Andrey K., actors Jon V. and Eric R.! These interviews are VERY film specific and informative! It really shocked me how much these guys remember about a project they did 30 years ago! And they tell is like it is! haha! Good, bad and UGLY! Wow! Totally great package all the way around. LOVE IT! Worth every penny!

I've seen this film a number of times, that's why I ordered it, to make it part of my collection of many other DVDs that I've got.