SOMETIMES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH CAN BE A NARROW MARGIN.
Carol Hunnicut (Anne Archer) witnesses a mob hit and tries to make herself disappear; an assistant D.A. (Gene Hackman) tracks her down, but so do a couple of assassins. Director Peter Hyams’s remake of the 1952 thriller is also largely set on a train, but many other ingredients are changed. The script is full of loopholes, but Hyams is a skilled filmmaker who creates a lot of tension in the cat-and mouse game in spite of overall predictability (will the climax take place on top of the train? You bet). Another plus is the performances of Archer and Hackman, especially the latter as the stubborn but amiable Caulfield.
1990-U.S. 97 min. Color. Widescreen. Written and directed byĀ Peter Hyams. Cast: Gene Hackman (Robert Caulfield), Anne Archer (Carol Hunnicut), James B. Sikking (Nelson), J.T. Walsh, M. Emmet Walsh, Susan Hogan.
