Trains are intriguing places to set a film. With less of the danger than a plane crashing and less hijacking likely to occur, but equal dangers in speed and claustrophobic, thrilling, tension-filled moments, there are some amazing films set on trains.
From more recent action-thrillers to murder mysteries and even the occasional animated film, there is no end to what trains can be used for in cinema. Fantastic movies have been well-remembered for their setting by merely placing their events on a train, and many more likely will get the same treatment in the future as trains aren’t going anywhere.
6 Murder On The Orient Express
While both versions of this tale that have been turned into major big-screen adaptions are excellent, the more recent Kenneth Branagh one is notable for the major cast it brought together to play the many suspects in this Agatha Christie thriller. The tale of a murder and how almost all the train passengers were caught on a long journey through nowhere linked to him is intriguing, to say the least.
Kenneth Branagh stars as Hercule Poirot while others such as Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Leslie Odom Jr, Josh Gad, Willem Dafoe, and Penélope Cruz also star as an insanely talented ensemble cast, almost all of whom are suspects of Poirot’s as he attempts to navigate the situation and stop anyone else getting killed in the process. The train set is well-used here, and it easily keeps the passengers trapped aboard using the rural journey they are taking and the time period in which it is set. The film was good enough that it managed to spark one sequel already with another on the way.
5 The Polar Express
A delightful holiday classic to many even today, The Polar Express is directed by the legendary Robert Zemeckis and stars Tom Hanks, a lot, as he plays a variety of roles in this tale of a young boy who wishes to meet Santa Claus and finds himself aboard a train with other children who all share his wish.
The animation of the film is fun and different, the characters memorable and the story a heart-touching one that helped this to huge success at the box office. Despite almost twenty years having passed since its release, The Polar Express remains as strong and enjoyable a message and film as ever.
4 Bullet Train
In another recent outing and one of the more ludicrously fun action films of the decade so far, Brad Pitt stars alongside another intriguing ensemble cast brought together on a bullet train in Japan with the purpose of turning them all loose against each other. This variety of assassins and murderers with Pitt caught in the middle, filling in for somebody else in a ridiculous case of mistaken identity.
Featuring Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Bad Bunny, Sandra Bullock, Zazie Beetz, Michael Shannon, and more, Bullet Train is a hilarious action film with great claustrophobic fight scenes, continuous reveals and bait-and-switches, and a few moments of absolutely top-notch comedy alongside it all. Whether violent comedy and brutal action are normally a forte for viewers, this is one that will intrigue almost everybody.
3 Runaway Train
More of a classic entry, Runaway Train was released in 1985 and stars Jon Voight and Eric Roberts as a pair of convicts who break out of prison and get aboard a train to complete their escape. The only problem is that the train is out of control and has no engineer aboard after the only one has a heart attack.
This film is an unusual independent thriller that managed to win hearts but not enough as it fell a little flat at the box office. Nevertheless, it has retained a cult following and deserves another look, as the excellent performance from Jon Voight and the excellent usage of absurdity throughout helped get many critics on board.
2 Unstoppable
Another great action film about the incapability of stopping a full-speed train that is unattended, Unstoppable came out in 2010 and stars Denzel Washington and Chris Pine as an engineer and a conductor who become embroiled in a situation with a full-speed train that has nobody on board.
In order to stop it, they have to travel backward on another train and couple them together before boarding and trying to find a way to bring the situation to a safe conclusion while various train authority workers attempt to help them from the sidelines. The film is constant, heart-pounding action done right, and deals more than any other film with the incredible danger behind high-speed trains.
1 The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three
A classic, because it remains much better than the later remake,The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three deals with four gunmen who board a New York subway train and take it hostage, demanding a ransom from the authorities for the safe return of all the passengers.
Not a traditional type of train, the authorities remain baffled until the last moment about how the gunmen intend to escape, but nevertheless, this form of hostage-taking made for a fascinating premise and the film worked beautifully. The men aboard are definitely villainous and are presented as such, but the humanity behind every character is intriguing and makes for a great piece of work that is well-remembered today as it approaches fifty years of age.