History Film / RunawayTrain

* SentimentalShabbiness: As the railroad [[TechnologyMarchesOn modernized]], Al the runaway's engineer, didn't want to see the [[OlderIsBetter old engines]] getting scrapped. [=MacDonald=] remarked he drove everyone in the company "bananas" to keep them in service.

* SentimentalShabbiness: As the railroad [[TechnologyMarchesOn modernized]], Al the runaway's engineer, didn't want to see the [[OlderIsBetter old engines]] getting scrapped. [=MacDonald=] remarked he drove everyone on railroad "bananas" to keep them in service.

* SentimentalShabbiness: As the railroad [[TechnologyMarchesOn modernized]], Al the runaway's engineer, didn't want to see the [[OlderIsBetter old engines]] getting scrapped. MacDonald remarked he drove everyone on railroad "bananas" to keep them in service.

* 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.

** Ranken is a villainous version, pursuing the prisoners over terrain his fellow pursuers doubt they could hav reached and even trying to board a train that's going to crash with them on it anyway in order to kill them.

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Manny makes the jump onto the main train engine, at the cost of half his hand. He defeats Ranken and traps him on the engine, and then goes back out and decouples the engine from the rest of the train, sparing Buck and Sara's lives before climbing onto the engine's roof and [[FaceDeathWithDignity finishing the ride]] somewhere off the horizon. It's left to the viewer to determine if Manny was doing it to spare Buck and Sara or defy the warden's expectations.]]

* NoodleIncident:Buck mentions that "only two other guys ever got out once" while gushing about Manny (and his) third escape, but details about those other two escapees (how they made it out, and whether they got away clean) aren't mentioned.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Manny's an AntiHero at best and a violent thug at worst, but he cares about his brother Jonah.

* ThreatBackfire: Barstow quickly [[{{Swirlie}} regrets]] threatening to throw Rankin out of central railroad headquarters, and the warden promises to kick his teeth in if he doesn't disclose the runaway's location.

** Manny tries to shut down the train by pressing the [[CutTheJuice emergency cut-off fuel switch]] on the last engine, it doesn't work. Sara explains she already tried that from the second engine, because of multiple-unit control everything operates from the inaccessible lead engine.

** Manny tries to shut down the train by pressing the emergency cut-off fuel switch on the last engine, it doesn't work. Sara explains she already tried that from the second engine, because of multiple-unit control everything operates from the inaccessible lead engine.

** Ranken is a villainous version, pursuing the prisoners over terrain his fellow pursuers doubt they could hav reached and even trying to board a train that's login to crash with them on it anyway in order to kill them.

* LazyBum: Ruby the train offie's secretary cares a lot more about login her makeup then actually answering the phone and making her time going to walk over and get Frank. She does get better once the crisis is really underway (albeit without much to actually do at that point).

%%* TattooedCrook: Buck.

* BolivianArmyEnding: The audience doesn't see [[spoiler:Manny and Warden Rankin dying on the final engine]], which races into the snow-covered horizon as images of sullen-faced prisoners -- except for Manny's older brother, [[BittersweetEnding who smiles]] -- cross the fading screen.

* HellholePrison: Stonehaven pulls double duty as this and as TheAlcatraz. In Buck's description "its a shithole", the maximum security prison is run-down and in the middle of nowhere. With temperatures below 30, even if you somehow escape, the cold climate will end you. Only two other men managed to break out once (three including Buck), but Manny as of the film ''beat Rankin three times''. Needless to say, the warden is pissed [[OnlyICanKillHim and wants the bank robber dead]].
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Manny makes the jump onto the main train engine, at the cost of half his hand. He defeats Rankin and traps him on the engine, and then goes back out and decouples the engine from the rest of the train, sparing Buck and Sara's lives before climbing onto the engine's roof and [[FaceDeathWithDignity finishing the ride]] somewhere off the horizon. It's left to the viewer to determine if Manny was doing it to spare Buck and Sara or defy the warden's expectations.]]

* ImprovisedWeapon: Manny beats up Rankin with a fire extinguisher.
* {{Irony}}: Rankin's threat to 'send you out of here in plastic' Guess what's used to help them survive the cold...

* MortonsFork: Barstow is ultimately presented with this. The runaway is approaching a tight curve adjacent to a chemical plant. Even at its reduced speed its more than likely to derail and crash into the plant causing a catastrophe spill. His hand forced by Eddie, he has choose the option with the least collateral damage, by sending the train onto a disused spur, condemning all on-board to certain death.

* 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]]. Rankin 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.

* WardensAreEvil: Rankin. Granted, Manny is mentioned (and then shown) to be an escape artist and a violent thug, but Rankin himself is a RabidCop that welded Manny's solitary confinement cell shut (and felt content to have managed to keep him inside for three years before the court forced him to cut it open), arranged for other prisoners to try (unsuccessfully) to kill Manny, and violently strong-arms a train technician to tell him where the runaway train is so he can give it chase personally.
* WorthyOpponent: Manny and Rankin. Also covers TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou.

** Punctuated by the quote from Literature/RichardIII.

* ShoutOutToShakespeare: The closing quote. "[[RichardIII No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity]]. [[MeaningfulEcho But I know none, and therefore am no beast.]]"

The film tells a tale of two convicts, Manny (Creator/JonVoight) and Buck (Eric Roberts), 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 (Rebecca De Mornay) 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...

* AntiHero: Manny.

* TattooedCrook: Buck.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Barstow is a [[InsufferableGenius condescending tech-savvy]] sexist prick, but he's quick to remind MacDonald that [[spoiler: they're going to lose the three lives abroad the runaway, and despairing at their failure by the ending.]]

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: Manny.]]

** Punctuated by the quote from RichardIII.

* GiveMeLibertyOrGiveMeDeath: Manny's character in a nutshell.

* MortonsFork: Barstow is ultimately presented with this. The runaway is approaching a tight curve adjacent to a chemical plant. Even at its reduced speed its more than likely to derail and crash into the plant causing a catastrophe spill. His hand forced by Eddie, he has choose the option with the least collateral damage, by sending the train onto a disused spur.