Trains and Hollywood have a long and colorful history together dating back to classics likeTheTaking of Pelham 1 2 3(1974) andthe original American silent westernTheGreat Train Robbery(1903)to modern classics like thegreat Bong Joon-ho’sSnowpiercer(2013)andTrain to Busan(2016). One thing seems to remain constant throughout: nearly all of these movies make you second guess ever getting on a train yourself. Whether it be because of the fear of getting hijacked by terrorists, experiencing engine malfunctions or even encounteringhordes of the living dead,there always seems to be something ready to ruin the grand old tradition of traveling via train. With that in mind, here are 7 movies that will make you second guess ever getting on a train.Related:These Movies Will Make You Second Guess Ever Getting on a Boat
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
The originalTheTaking of Pelham 1 2 3, released in 1974, is a thriller film directed by Joseph Sargent. It received universal acclaim, currently belonging to theultra exclusive club on Rotten Tomatoes of movies with a perfect 100% fresh score, alongside classics likePinocchioandSinging in the Rain. The 2009 remake starring John Travolta and Denzel Washington isn’t. Both, however, will make you second guess ever getting on a train. The story, which is fairly similar in both versions, is about a law enforcer who has to negotiate with a dangerous criminal who has hijacked a subway train of innocent passengers whom he is holding hostage for ransom. Needless to say, that morning commute was far more eventful (and utterly terrifying) for those people that day!
Money Train
Following the success of their pairing in the 1992 hit comedyWhite Men Can’t Jump,Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes were cast in the 1995 action-comedyMoney Train.Although not as successful with fans or critics, it did have its moments. Once again, though, it highlights the perils of riding the subway. This time, the train ends up with no brakes and the throttle jammed, hurtling straight towards a passenger train. This ‘money train’ hauling subway revenue, also happened to be in the process of being robbed, at the time, by Harrelson’s character to pay off gambling debts. Even after being talked down by his foster brother, played by Snipes, and the pair managing to throw the money train into reverse, it still goes onto ram the passenger train a couple of times—certainly an experience likely to cause those passengers to re-think their commuter route.
The Midnight Meat Train
This gruesome horror, based on Clive Barker’s 1984 short story of the same name, and starring the always imposing Vinnie Jones as the Subway Butcher, stayed off most people’s radars. Grossing only $3.5 million at the box office, it was still generally well received among critics and has becomea fan favorite in horror circles. Ted Raimi and Bradley Cooper also star in this blood-soaked genre piece which sees the ‘Subway Butcher’ stalking, attacking, and brutally murdering late-night strangers aboard the subway trains. After seeing this, it’s almost a given that viewers will consider shelling out that little extra for a taxi home instead of getting a late night train.
Snowpiercer
Before it was adapted into ahit Netflix show starring Daveed Diggs, and before director Bong Joon-Ho made headlines worldwide for directingParasite, the first international movie to win the Best Picture award at the Oscars, there was the 2013 dystopian thrillerSnowpiercer. It takes place aboard the eponymous Snowpiercer train as it travels a globe-spanning track, carrying the last remnants of humanity after a failed attempt at climate engineering to stop global warming has created a new frozen Earth. While this train is a literal ‘lifesaver’, life on the train is far from perfect. The train is split into sections and divided by class. Those at the tail end—the lower class—live in squalid conditions where food is scarce (and barely edible) and are brutally oppressed by the tyrannical ruling class. Revolution was inevitable.
Murder on the Orient Express
Murder on the Orient Expressis a 2017 murder mystery film directed by Kenneth Branagh, based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie that take place on—you guessed it—a train. The classic story has been adapted for film and television a number of times, probably most famously in 1974 by Sidney Lumet starring Sean Connery, Albert Finney, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave and Ingrid Bergman. The fantastic cast was matched in 2017 with some of the finest stars acting today including Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Michelle Pfeiffer. The Orient Express train, itself, is gorgeous, luxurious and looks thoroughly appealing, until a passenger gets murdered, that is. Kenneth Branagh plays the iconic detective in this iteration, who is called to action as he searches for clues and unravels the events and motive that led to the mysterious attack.
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Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
Back in the 90s Steven Segal was quite a big draw andUnder Siege 2, a balls-to-the-wall action thriller about a train hijacking, went on to gross over one hundred million dollars. The plot revolves around an evil genius who, along with his henchmen, hijack a train, because apparently this supposedly undetectable moving platform is ideal for him to set up his powerful 90s computers. These computers have the power to gain control of a satellite which can also be used as a weapon of mass destruction. A commodity he’s offering to sell to international terrorist groups. Fortunately, ex Navy SEAL Casey Ryback, played by Segal, happens to be on this long distance train through the Rockies and is incredibly inept at kicking terrorist ass. It might make you second guess getting on a train but if you have ever wondered what to do in case of a hijacking, you’ll want to watch this one for educational purposes. It just may save your life.
Train to Busan
There have been so many zombie films it has become difficult to tell them apart. When South Korean action horror zombie flickTrain to Busanstarted breaking viewing records in 2016, it became apparent that finally we were witnessing something entirely fresh and original for the genre. Taking place on a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan, as a zombie apocalypse is breaking out, Trainto Busan,successfully manages to blend equal parts horror and action with an engaging emotional core and some social commentary thrown in for good measure. The genius of setting it in the nightmarish claustrophobic confines of a high-speed train, with the potential to derail at any minute just adds to the terror.An American remake is reportedly in the works,but if a number of other American remakes are anything to go by, you’ll probably be best sticking with the original – just be warned, it might put you off riding trains forever because if a zombie apocalypse does break out, it’s definitely not the place you want to be!
