The script for Express to Hell was supposed to be made into a film in the mid-1960s, but was scrapped until the brilliant idea was dug out again almost twenty years later. Andrey Konchalovskiy’s fast-paced action thriller finally saw the light of day on the big screen in 1985 and won over critics in droves. Even today, our streaming tip is still one of the best train films of all time.
Two criminals on a driverless train: Express to hell in stream
Manny (Jon Voight) and Buck (Eric Roberts) have managed to escape from prison. When they board a train, it is supposed to take them to freedom, but a hellish trip begins. When the train driver suffers a heart attack, the safe means of transport becomes an out-of-control monsterwhich uses enormous power to destroy everything that stands in its way. The steel beast leaves nothing but chaos and heads towards an unknown destination.
Express to Hell convinces with action and characters
Having such a limited setting as a train can be an exciting undertaking. This is also proven by films such as Snowpiercer, Bullet Train and Unstoppable. The latter, like Express to Hell, is also based on a real incident in which a driverless train raced through the USA.
The film from the 80s does not have to hide behind its adrenaline-charged counterparts. On the contrary, in 2018 it landed on 2nd place in our top 15 best train films. Most critics praised the action thriller, with the thrilling scenes and especially the well-crafted script and characters being praised (via Rotten Tomatoes). The Academy also saw this and nominated both lead actors for an Oscar.
Stream or TV: When is Express to Hell on?
Tele5 showed the fast-paced train action on September 12th at 8:15 p.m. Unfortunately, there is no repeat, but you can stream Express to Hell on Amazon Prime Video, among others.
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