Sean Paul Murphy, Writer

Sean Paul Murphy, Writer
Sean Paul Murphy, Storyteller

Thursday, June 29, 2023

My 10 Favorite Train Movies

My fellow Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcaster Ralph Quattrucci posted a short on YouTube about his three favorite train movies. I immediately posted an answering short with my three favorite ones. That got me thinking about my Top 10 Train Movies. My only criterion is that most of the action takes place on the train. Therefore, a film like Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train, or North By Northwest, would not qualify. (Don't worry, there will be a Hitchcock film.)

Here's my list:


Directed by Howard Hawks
Screenplay by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur
Based on the play by Charles Bruce Millholland

Twentieth Century is a screwball comedy about a ruthless Broadway producer, Oscar Jaffe (played by John Barrymore), who discovers a young woman named Lily Garland (played by Carole Lombard) and transforms her into a star. However, their professional and personal relationship turns sour, and they go their separate ways. Years later, they meet again on a train called the Twentieth Century, and Oscar tries to win Lily back.

The film is significant because it was one of the earliest examples of the screwball comedy genre, which became popular in the 1930s and 1940s. It strongly benefits from the script by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. I consider Ben Hecht the greatest Hollywood screenwriter of all time. He could write anything, and, at his peak, apparently did write everything. In this film he worked with his partner Charles MacArthur, with whom he wrote the classic play The Front Page, which has been adapted into a movie many times.

 

Based on the book by Charles Van Allsburg

The Polar Express is a computer-animated Christmas film about a young boy who doubts the existence of Santa Claus, but one Christmas Eve, he boards a magical train called the Polar Express that takes him on a journey to the North Pole to meet Santa.

The film is significant for its groundbreaking use of motion capture technology, which allowed for realistic human movements to be captured and translated onto digital characters. The film's visual effects were praised at the time of its release, as they were considered a significant step forward in computer animation. (Other people found the animation creepy.) The movie also features a star-studded cast, including Tom Hanks, who played multiple roles in the film, including the train conductor and Santa Claus.

Of all the train films, I have easily seen this one the most. It seems that all of my grandchildren have gone through their Polar Express period. If only for all of the times I've watched the film with them, it will remain a holiday classic for me forever.

  


Directed by Tony Scott
Written by Mark Bomback

Unstoppable is based on a true story and follows two railroad workers, played by Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, who attempt to stop a runaway train carrying hazardous chemicals before it causes a catastrophic disaster.

Tony Scott delivers all the action you'd expect from him in this film, which was enhanced by the use of actual trains and practical effects. Denzel Washington and Chris Pine give great performances. I thought it was only fair for me to include this film since I would definitely not be including Denzel's other train film, the 2009 remake of The Taking of Pelham 123, which was also directed by Tony Scott.

  


Based on the novel by Ethel Lina White

A young woman traveling on a train in Eastern Europe suspects that a kindly old woman who befriended her has disappeared -- but no one else seems to remember her.

The Lady Vanishes is a sentimental favorite. I first saw it projected on 16mm in the basement of my local library one Saturday afternoon and I became permanently hooked on Hitchcock. That said, the film does have a few problems. The models are pretty unwatchable by today's standards, and the film takes a long time to finally get rolling. On the plus side, the leads Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave have great chemistry, and the film has all of the suspense and humor one expects from Alfred Hitchcock.

The Lady Vanishes is an enjoyable film that certainly earns its place on this list. I am always happy to watch it.

Watch the whole movie here:

  


6. TRAIN TO BUSAN, 2016
Written by Joo-Suk Park and Sang-Ho Yeun
Directed by Sang-Ho Yeun

Train to Busan follows a group of passengers who are aboard a train bound for Busan, a city that is reportedly safe from a viral outbreak that turns victims into aggressive and violent zombies. The protagonist, a workaholic father named Seok-woo, along with his young daughter and a group of survivors, must fight for their survival and find a way to escape the train and reach Busan, where they hope to find safety.

If you like train movies and zombie movies, Train to Busan should be a slice of heaven for you. It excels in both categories. This film also helped put South Korea on the horror movie map and revitalize the zombie genre. 

Here's the trailer:

       


5. SILVER STREAK, 1976
Written by Colin Higgins
Directed by Arthur Hiller

Silver Streak is a comedy-thriller featuring Gene Wilder as a mild-mannered book editor who finds himself caught in a murder plot and international intrigue while traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago on the train.

This is a highly-enjoyable film most notable for being the first pairing of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. Their chemistry was instantly evident and they would be paired repeatedly in the future, most significantly in the film Stir Crazy. My only problem with this film is that Richard Pryor arrives too late!

Here's the trailer:

 

Written by Christopher Knopf
Directed by Robert Aldrich

Emperor of the North is set during the Great Depression and tells the story of a brutal and dangerous railroad conductor named Shack (Ernest Borgnine) who takes it as a personal challenge to prevent hobos from riding on his train. A legendary drifter named A-No. 1 (Lee Marvin) takes on Shack's challenge and attempts to ride Shack's train to the end of the line, and becomes embroiled in a lethal battle of wits and wills.

With films like The Dirty Dozen and Flight of the Phoenix under his belt, Robert Aldrich was a director of manly action films. This film fits easily into his oeuvre. It didn't do as well as many of his other pictures. I think it was because the lead characters weren't as sympathetic and their mission less heroic. Still, it is a helluva train film. And those people who only know Borgnine as the lovable captain in the TV series McHale's Navy are in for a surprise!

Here's the trailer:

 


3. THE GENERAL, 1926
Based on the book by William Pittenger (uncredited)
Directed by Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton

In The General, which was based on actual events, Buster Keaton plays a Confederate train engineer named Johnnie Gray who tries to rescue his beloved locomotive, The General, from Union spies.

No list of train films would be complete without this masterful silent comedy. Along with Chaplin's The Gold Rush and perhaps Harold Lloyd's Safety Last, The General is one of the best known silent films. And for good reason. It is significant for its technical achievements, particularly the elaborate and dangerous stunts performed by Keaton and his crew.  Keaton actually broke his neck performing a stunt but didn't realize it until years later. The General was not considered a commercial success upon its initial release, but it's reputation has grown over the ensuing decades. It is now considered a landmark of American cinema, and an excellent place for a novice to jump into Keaton's work.

Here's the film:

 


Based on the novel by John Godey
Written by Peter Stone
Directed by Joseph Sargent

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, based on the bestselling novel, is a crime thriller about a group of criminals let by Robert Shaw who hijack a subway train and its passengers for a million dollar ransom. Walter Matthau plays a Transit Authority police officer who acts as a go-between with the hijackers while trying to figure out how they plan to escape from the underground tunnel.

This is one of the most intense crime thrillers of the 1970s. Although director Joseph Sargent is not known as an auteur or stylist, I doubt Hitchcock or Spielberg could have done better. (Tony Scott certainly couldn't!) The script by Peter Stone, who has won an Oscar, a Tony and an Emmy, doesn't waste a word and adds ample humor to leaven the tension. The performances are uniformly stellar. Walter Matthau was never better -- and that's saying something. The David Shire score is memorably iconic. The film also captures the grimy New York City of the early-70's in all of its glory. It is a must see that truly stands the test of time, despite the fact that it leans heavily into the misogyny and casual racism of the era. It has been remake twice. Neither version holds a candle to it.

Here's the trailer:

   

 Here we are discussing the film on the podcast:

 

Here we are discussing the film and the remake(s):

 


1. RUNAWAY TRAIN, 1985
Based on a screenplay by Akira Kurosawa

I wrote a very long appreciation of this film. Read it here: Film Appreciation: Runaway Train.

In Runaway Train, two escaped convicts, played by Jon Voight and Eric Roberts, board a runaway train and must stop it before it derails and causes a catastrophic crash with the help of a railroad employee played by Rebecca De Mornay.

It would be easy to agree that The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three is a better film on almost every level, but Runaway Train tops my list because of the sheer trainness of the story. In this film, the train itself, rather than the characters, is the instrument of fate and possible doom.

This film, which was originally slated to be Akira Kurosawa's American debut, is an existential masterpiece about what makes us human and is considered one of the best action films of the 1980s. Jon Voight and Eric Roberts both earned Academy Award nominations for their performances -- which are admittedly way over the top at times. This remains a must see for me. If it's on, I'm watching it!

Once again, check out my longer review: Film Appreciation: Runaway Train.

Here's the trailer:

 

Here are my other lists:


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