Ever since Buster Keaton did some serious stunt work on the busy end of a steam locomotive in 1926’s The General, trains have become a staple in movies, from comedies to horror to romances and especially action films, riding the rails have made for some great cinema moments. So many trains have been in movies, it’s almost impossible to make a list of the best, and considering how often they are used and in all genres, there’s sure to be debate on what would top a list. However, this list is more about picking a few faves rather than outright ranking them, and we invite you to tell us which you’d tag as greats. So with that in mind, here’s 8 epic train movie moments we think are some of the best ever made.
RUNAWAY TRAIN
This little known action film from 1985 stars Jon Voight and Eric Roberts, they playing a couple of convicts escaped from prison who end up on a freight train in the middle of winter hiding out from the law steadily closing in. Problem is, the damned thing has no driver, has no brakes and is barreling down the tracks out of control. The entire second half is one continuous sequence of railway mayhem. A great action flick with terrific stunt work and a young Rebecca De Mornay in support, this a one heckuva train movie you need to see.
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
The first in the Tom Cruise spy thrillers, this 1996 Brian De Palma action film set a standard for the franchise and put Cruise on a mission of his own to outdo himself with each subsequent movie, all stemming from the insane train scene at the end of the story. Chasing Jon Voight (on the list twice), the action takes place on top of the cars of a high speed bullet train, heading into a tunnel with a helicopter in tow. It was mind-blowing twenty years ago and still holds up today, a mix of great visual effects and even greater stunt work, making it a must on any movie train list.
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SPIDER-MAN 2
For your superhero dollars, few movies do as well as Sam Raimi‘s 2004 follow-up to his original, with a well cast Tobey Maguire as the spider-bitten Peter Parker and his powerful alter-ego. Following a good scientist named Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) who is transformed into the villainous Doc Ock when an experiment goes wrong (as they often do), the two meet on a fast-moving elevated train as Spider-Man desperately tries to save the passengers as the maniac endeavors to end our hero. While it’s a spectacular action sequence, it’s also a terrific character moment and one of the best in the series. So much so, we wrote about it here.
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SKYFALL
While Bond’s 50th anniversary entry Skyfall (2012) was a mixed bag that divided many fans, there’s no taking away from the sensational train sequence near the start that is surely the best train moment in the whole series, which has plenty to brag about. With Bond (Daniel Criag) up on top in a knock-down drag-out bare-fisted battle as the train races through the Turkish countryside, it all ends is a shocking moment when Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) takes a long distance sniper shot with fateful results. You can’t beat that opening.
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UNBREAKABLE
The best part of this train moment is how is trips you right up, starting out like a generic opening credits sequence to introduce the main character, he being David Dunn (Bruce Willis), a man unaware that two things are about to happen: a) the train is going to derail in a violent and horrific accident that kills everyone but him, and b) it will lead to an even further startling discovery about just how he really is. Director M. Night Shyamalan is a master of suspense and does it just right with this terrific opening that sets a tone for the whole film.
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SILVER STREAK
One couldn’t possibly make a list about great train action moments and not mention this classic 1976 thriller starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. Filmed almost entirely on a train, it follows mild-mannered book editor George (Wilder) traveling to Chicago from L.A., who gets mixed up in romance and intrigue when things get all murdery on his train. With plenty of laughs, as expected, this is really more of an action movie with director Arthur Hiller turning the second half into a nail-biting runaway train streaming for the city. It makes for a great sequence as George, his new pal Grover (Pryor) and love interest Hilly (Jill Clayburgh) struggle to save the train and themselves. Read more here.
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SUPER 8
This J.J. Abrams-directed homage to hero Steven Spielberg, was sort of an uneven film that did a lot right even as it couldn’t really find the magic it was aiming for. However, you want mind-bending train action, or at least a very explody one, then this is your movie. Featuring a spectacular wreck, started when a group of kids filming a scene at the local train station for their home movie, they witness their teacher slam his truck into an oncoming freight train with devastating results. And that’s not even the most surprising thing. Wait till you see what was on that train. It’s a memorable moment that makes for one of the best train scenes ever.
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THE FUGITIVE
So you probably saw this one coming, and might have been wondering when it was going to show up, but really, this is one of the greatest train action scenes ever put to film. Directed by Andrew Davis and starring Harrison Ford, it follows a wrongly-accused doctor Richard Kimble, who is sent to prison for killing his wife. He ends up on a bus with a few locked up baddies, only to get stuck on the tracks in a wreck when the inmates stage a breakout, leaving them right in the path of a freight train headed right for them. Can Kimble get out in time? It’s only the start of one of the best movies of the decade and easily one of the best train moments in cinema.