History Film / RunawayTrain

* LazyBum: Ruby the train offie's secretary cares a lot more about doing 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).

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

* MagicBrakes: Realistically adverted. As Al is dying, he engages his train's brakes while the throttle is fully open. While [[BrakeAngrily the screeching of them]] alerts foreman Cassidy that something is seriously wrong, they start to burn off as the engines leave the yard, and the train subsequently picks up speed.

* FailsafeFailure: Al, the train's engineer suffers from a heart attack. In attempting to stop the train and get off, he does not set the throttle to Idle, instead [[DeadFootLeadfoot engaging the brakes]], before collapsing off the still-moving train. [[DeadManSwitch This overrides the engine's automatic train stop]]. And consequently, although the brakes apply, the locomotives ''overpower them'', and the brake shoes burn off.

''Runaway Train'' is a 1985 action thriller film directed by Creator/AndreiKonchalovsky, adapted from a 1963 screenplay by Creator/AkiraKurosawa.

* MagicBrakes: Realistically adverted. As Al is dying, he engages the his train's brakes while the throttle is fully open. While [[BrakeAngrily the screeching of them]] alerts foreman Cassidy that something is seriously wrong, they start to burn off as the engines leave the yard, and the train subsequently picks up speed.

* BigWhat: When Dave realizes Yardmaster Pulasky is trying to warn Barstow they have a runaway.

* 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.

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 (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...

* DisposablePilot: Al the train's engineer, has a Sudden cardiac arrest moments after he started it up in [[{{Overdrive}} notch 8]], disembarks the still-moving train. The foreman's on scene, but he's already dead.

* FailsafeFailure: Al, the train's engineer suffers from a heart attack. In attempting to stop the train and get off, he does not set the throttle to Idle, instead engaging the brakes, before collapsing off the still-moving train. [[DeadManSwitch This overrides the engine's automatic train stop]]. And consequently, although the brakes apply, the locomotives ''overpower them'', and the brake shoes burn off.

* 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 steel mine spur instead.

* ExactTimeToFailure: Barstow points out to [=MacDonald=] if they send the runaway onto the Elkins disused spur, they would run out track in 15 minutes. Sure enough, that's [[RealTime how long they have]] before the [[BolivianArmyEnding movie ends]].

''Runaway Train'' is a 1985 action thriller film directed by Creator/AndreiKonchalovsky, adapted from a screenplay by Creator/AkiraKurosawa.

* UnsafeHaven: Manny and Buck are skeptical of Sara coming back the last engine until she explains she only did so because its the safest place should they crash again.

* UnsafeHaven: Manny and Buck are skeptical of Sara coming back the last engine until she explains she only did so because its the safest place to be if they crash again.