Runaway Train (1985): When the Cannon Group Financed a Lost Kurosawa Film

Is Runaway Train the best film The Cannon Group ever made?Runaway Train is the only "philosophical" action thriller I've ever heard of. Based on an original script by the legendary Akira Kurosawa, it combines American action thrills with Eastern existential questions.This unique blend was a critical darling, but it didn't sell many tickets at the box office. But it's remembered today as arguably the best film exploitation masters The Cannon Group financed and frequently appears on "underrated" lists of the 1980s.Powered by Oscar-nominated performances from Jon Voight and Eric Roberts, Runaway Train is about two convicts who escape prison only to find themselves aboard a conductor-less locomotive headed for a grisly crash.Join me for a discussion of main character Manny's battle with destiny, Eric Roberts's talent for playing guys who think they're smarter than they are, and the finale that swerves the American action tradition for the Eastern existential thought balloon.Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. Starring Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, Kyle T. Heffner, John P. Ryan, T.K. Carter, and Kenneth McMillanConnect with us on Bluesky:@not-ni-theaters.bsky.socialAnd to read more of Will's writing or check out more podcast episodes, you can visit him at: willturntale.com