Some of the toughest criminals in America are being transported, via train, to a high security prison.  For some reason, instead of using an entire train to transport the prisoners and guards, it’s decided to just put the criminals in one car attached to a normal passenger train.  Did the passengers in the other cars get a warning that would be traveling with a bunch of desperate criminals?  Did they at least get a discount on their tickets?  Of course, Mafia kingpin Enzo Martini (Roy Scheider, slumming) engineers a takeover with the rest of the prisoners.  It’s up to Sheriff Wes Blaidek (Ray Wise) and bartender Zoe Clark (Delane Matthews) to stop the prisoners.

This is a fast-moving, dumb-as-Hell action movie that’s memorable mostly for having a cast that was very much overqualified for the film.  Keith Coogan, Dorian Harewood, Don Swayze, Ed O’Ross, and Sam J. Jones are all in this thing.  Clint Howard plays the homicidal serial killer who lets a child live because the kid has seen Taxi Driver.  Dick Van Patten plays the head of the parole board.  I can understand why Roy Scheider might be selected to play a mob boss and how Clint Howard and Don Swazye ended up playing killers.  But how do you look at this film’s story and think, “This need Dick Van Patten?”  It’s Die Hard on a train but without the wit or the budget.  The movie moves quickly, there’s plenty of train and helicopter action and it’s still good to see so many familiar and eccentric talents gathered together to bring too life one very stupid movie.  It’s too bad they couldn’t find room for Joey Travolta or Joe Estevez but I guess you can’t have everything.