History Film / RunawayTrain

* {{Fingore}}: Manny gets half of his left hand crushed by the train's Janney coupler.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler: Manny, Buck, and Sara were basically ready to FaceDeathWithDignity, and Ranken would have seen his most troublesome prisoner finally disposed of. However, because Ranken believes he's TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou, he flies the police chopper to the train's location to personally capture Manny. The corrections officer sent down first ends up falling to his death and breaking the front window of the car the convicts and Sara were holed up in, giving Manny the means to access the final engine.]]

* StrawNihilist: What Manny has become at his core over his lifetime as a criminal and prisoner. He gives his fair share of [[DespairSpeech Despair Speeches]] ridiculing anyone's [[CrapsackWorld beliefs in hope, miracles, faith]] or living any [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism unrealistic dream incompatible with reality]]. Ranken taunts him aboard the runaway approaching the end of line, that he'll burn in Hell for this. All Manny does is ''smile'' and scoff at the statement as if to say[[CessationOfExistence just how absurd he thinks any belief in the afterlife is]]. The ultimate icing-on-the-cake he delivers that cements his nihilism is his line "Win, lose, what's the difference?" at their current situation as the train's about to crash.

* SweaterGirl: Ruby has on a form-fitting sweater.

* DiabolusExMachina: What kickstarts the main story. With absolutely no prior build-up, one of the engineers just so happens to die of a heart attack right after releasing the breaks on the train Manny and Buck decided to hide out in.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler: Manny, Buck, and Sara were basically ready to FaceDeathWithDignity, and Ranken would have seen his most troublesome prisoner finally disposed of. However, because Ranken believes he's TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou, he flies the police chopper to the train's location to personally capture Manny. The correctional officer sent down first ends up falling to his death and breaking the front window of the car the convicts and Sara were holed up in, giving Manny the means to access the final engine.]]

* {{Determinator}}: Manny.

* ManChild: Buck behaves more like a hyperactive child than an adult. He's impulsive, overly excitable, and he has an idealistic devotion to Manny that seems more natural to a toddler than a hardened convict.

* StrawNihilist: What Manny increasingly becomes over the course of the film. He gives his fair share of [[DespairSpeech Despair Speeches]] ridiculing anyone's [[CrapsackWorld beliefs in hope, miracles, faith]] or living any [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism unrealistic dream incompatible with reality]]. Ranken taunts him abroad the runaway approaching the end of line, that he'll burn in Hell for this. All Manny does is ''smile'' and scoff at the statement, that's all the audience needs to know, [[CessationOfExistence just how absurd he thinks any belief in the afterlife is]]. The ultimate icing-on-the-cake he delivers that cements his nihilism is his line "Win, lose, what's the difference?" at their current situation as the train's about to crash.

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: Manny. Pulled off the stunt that the whole film had been building up to, saving two lives and giving the biggest "fuck you" to the Warden that he can, he goes into the great unknown with a big smile on his face.]]

* FailedASpotCheck: Dave has to warn Frank the speeding train is heading towards the Seneca trestle, and it can't take the runaway going that fast.

--> '''Frank:''' The system's foolproof.
--> '''Dave:''' Why, because you designed it.

* TheNeedsOfTheMany: [=MacDonald=] has an OhCrap moment when he realizes Barstow has run out of options and sent the runaway towards Elkins chemical plant. Arguing if the train derails into it, there would be a catastrophic spill that could endanger lives across the state and beyond. [[TheChainsOfCommanding Eventually everyone concedes]] to send it onto a disused mine spur instead.

The film tells a tale of two convicts, Oscar "Manny" Manheim (Creator/JonVoight) and Buck [=McGeehy=] (Creator/EricRoberts), who escape from an Alaskan prison and stow themselves away on a train. Unfortunately, the engineer dies at the throttle and their ride to freedom becomes a brakeless [[TitleDrop runaway train]]. While the train races across the snow-covered landscape, they come across remaining railroad worker Sara (Creator/RebeccaDeMornay) who warns them that the track they're on leads to certain doom. The three of them now must work to either stop or slow the train. Complicating things are the railroad company looking to derail the train before it causes any casualties along the line, and ruthless prison warden Ranken (John P. Ryan), who holds a grudge against Manny and quickly figures out where his two escaped convicts have gone...

This film was originally supposed to be directed by Creator/AkiraKurosawa as his English-language debut. It didn't happen (and Kurosawa never directed an English-language film), and over 20 years rolled by before it was made. Kurosawa got a story credit. As well, legendary crime author and ex-convict Creator/EdwardBunker wrote the final draft of the script, giving the film an authentic depiction of prison life.

This film was originally supposed to be directed by Creator/AkiraKurosawa as his English-language debut. It didn't happen (and Kurosawa never directed an English-language film), and over 20 years rolled by before it was made. Kurosawa got a story credit.

The film tells a tale of two convicts, Manny (Creator/JonVoight) and Buck (Creator/EricRoberts), who escape from an Alaskan prison and stow themselves away on a train. Unfortunately, the engineer dies at the throttle and their ride to freedom becomes a brakeless [[TitleDrop runaway train]]. While the train races across the snow-covered landscape, they come across remaining railroad worker Sara (Creator/RebeccaDeMornay) who warns them that the track they're on leads to certain doom. The three of them now must work to either stop or slow the train. Complicating things are the railroad company looking to derail the train before it causes any casualties along the line, and ruthless prison warden Ranken (John P. Ryan), who holds a grudge against Manny and quickly figures out where his two escaped convicts have gone...

* AffablyEvil: Buck. In contrast to Manny, Buck is friendly and amiable, though he's admittedly pretty annoying. He's still a rapist and it's heavily implied he would have raped Sara when they first run into her before Manny stops him.
* AntiHero:
** Manny. He's a cruel, cynical convict with a HairTriggerTemper and something of a bully, but he's leagues better than Ranken and [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice ultimately sacrifices himself to save Buck and Sara]].]]
** Buck is a moronic rapist, but he's leagues friendlier than Manny, can be surprisingly compassionate at times, and genuinely cares about Manny and Sara.

* ManChild: Buck.

%%* AntiHero: Manny.
* BadBoss: Zigzagged with [=MacDonald=]. On the one hand he couldn't care less Al [[NoSympathy died of a heart attack]], but on the other dislikes anyone trying to be ProfessionalButtKisser round him and has to repeatedly remind Frank the runaway's going to potentially kill many people if he can't or won't stop it. He's smart enough to know Ranken isn't someone [[TheDreaded to be messed with]], and tried to warn Barstow not to piss him off.

* MurphysLaw: Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, though for Manny [[spoiler:[[FaceDeathWithDignity this works out just perfectly]].]]