Director Andrei Konchalovsky’s 1985 action thriller gets a deserved boost to the ultra-high definition disc format to shine a spotlight on a pair of Academy Award-nominated performances in Runaway Train (Kino Lorber, rated R, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 112 minutes, $44.95).
Viewers first end up in Alaska’s Stonehaven Maximum Security Prison and meet Manny Manheim (Jon Voight), a bank robber so dangerous that the doors on his solitary confinement prison cell have been welded shut for the past three years.
A court order forces the nasty warden (John P. Ryan) to free him to the general population, and he immediately escapes with help from prisoner Buck McGeehy (Eric Roberts).
The two prisoners get to a train switch yard and climb aboard a four-locomotive powerhouse. They barely have time to relax before the engineer has a heart attack, and they are now stuck on an unstoppable, runaway train that’s barreling at 92 mph.
Their only chance of survival is with assistance from a maintenance worker named Sara (Rebecca De Mornay), who was taking a nap on the train and has a plan to slow down each engine.
Even though Mr. Voight and Mr. Roberts did not win the Oscar, their gritty performances remain as a benchmark for actors committed to creating complex characters.
With an original story from legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa and added punch from James Bond film cinematographer Alan Hume, “Runaway Train” delivers a frozen thrill ride and a nail-biting evening of entertainment.
4K in action: The impressive screen-filling presentation, delivered via a new 4K restoration (sourced from the original camera negative), highlights the limitless shades of white seen in the snowy terrain of Alaska, including a helicopter ride over a glacier, and visually navigating through the endless miles of tracks.
The stark weather conditions contrast with the rusted gray-blue locomotives, steel wheels in motion outdoors and the early, very drab gray scenes inside the prison.
Sequences to examine include the locomotives smashing through a caboose of another train, and a breathtaking scene of a guy dropping from a rope ladder from a helicopter onto the locomotives.
Viewers will notice a few bouts of soft focus that can be jarring, but overall, considering many parts of the film were shot with handheld cameras to add to the grittiness, the resulting visuals will not disappoint fans.
Best extras: Viewers will first appreciate a vintage optional commentary track from 2021 that offers movie historians David Del Valle and C. Courtney Joyner interviewing Mr. Roberts, who dominates the conversation, as expected.
He has plenty of memories and all delivered with wit and enthusiasm.
They include the cast staying at a fantastic ski resort in Anchorage, Alaska, for the shoot; and behind-the-scenes details, such as the first script was 300 pages long and a cold, snowy outdoor sequence (with three characters trying to uncouple a power cable while on the moving locomotives) was actually shot in 85-degree weather on the CBS film lot in California.
The track is a great complement to reappreciate the movie.
Equally important, Mr. Roberts returns for another 20 minutes of joyful memories talking about his love of working with Mr. Voight (incredible work ethic), the director (Russian royalty) and Mr. Ryan (“ya gotta marry rich, son”).
Important for home theater libraries is a fresh, 38 minutes with Mr. Voight as he first appreciates his good friend Mr. Konchalovsky’s direction (“don’t afraid, Jon”) and goes on to discuss the character; working with Mr. Roberts; challenges with the role; the effects; his Oscar nomination; and even performing some of the classic lines in Manny’s voice.
In only 15 minutes, viewers get insight from Mr. Konchalovsky on working with Mr. Voight and his reticence to play a bad guy; Mr. Roberts’ difficulty on the set (playing a charming idiot); revealing Jodie Foster really wanted to play Sara; and keeping any political themes out of the movie.
Two other interviews available include 17 minutes with actor Kyle T. Heffner (train dispatcher Frank Barlow) and another 16 minutes with Mr. Roberts from a vintage 2013 interview.
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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