★ 6 / 10
_**The Horror Express**_ A passenger train traveling from
Wuchak
_**The Horror Express**_ A passenger train traveling from Geneva, Switzerland, to Stockholm, Sweden, is infected by a strain of pneumonic plague via a…
_**The Horror Express**_
A passenger train traveling from Geneva, Switzerland, to Stockholm, Sweden, is infected by a strain of pneumonic plague via a terrorist. Under questionable orders, the US Colonel in charge of the situation (Burt Lancaster) reroutes the train to Poland where it has to cross a long defunct steel arch bridge.
“The Cassandra Crossing” (1976) is a disaster thriller that’s part train movie and part plague flick. It’s not great like the later “Runaway Train” (1985) nor as good as “Outbreak” (1995), but it’s almost on par with “Under Siege 2: Dark Territory” (1995).
Besides Lancaster as the Colonel, the impressive cast includes: Ingrid Thulin as the doctor the Colonel contends with; Richard Harris as a famous neurologist; Sophia Loren his ex-wife; Lee Strasberg a Holocaust survivor; Ava Gardner a wealthy aging lady; Martin Sheen her dubious boy toy; OJ Simpson a “priest”; Ann Turkel a hippie-ish musician; and John Phillip Law the Colonel’s subordinate.
Comparing this to the highest standard of 70’s disaster flicks, “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972), it’s just not as compelling because “Poseidon” has superior human interest, a more remarkable challenge and better women. Parts of it are quite good though, even great, like the superb sky-view cinematography and the score by Jerry Goldsmith. The last act is thrilling and worth the price of admission, but the first 90 minutes contains too many tedious parts with characters you don’t much care about.
Sophia still looks good at 41 during filming whereas Richard Harris was 45, but looks older. Gardner was 53 during shooting and also looks older, but then the last movie I saw her in debuted a dozen years earlier wherein she was still alluring. Hey, age happens.
The film runs 2 hours, 8 minutes. Interiors were shot at Cinecittà studios in Rome with exteriors done in France and Switzerland. The steel arch bridge pictured in the movie is in reality the Garabit Viaduct in southern France, designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1880-1884, who later constructed the Eiffel tower.
GRADE: B-
★ 7 / 10
A Star-Studded 1970's Conspiracy Thriller
P3n-E-W1s3
I haven't seen this one in years and it's surprising how much actually stays in your memory. Luckily for me, a TV station that specialises in old movies and…
I haven't seen this one in years and it's surprising how much actually stays in your memory. Luckily for me, a TV station that specialises in old movies and television dramas decided to show this flick. It was the star-studded cast that drew me to it, along with the storyline - I do like a good disaster film.
The first thing I have to do is praise the opening sequence as being one of the best I've ever seen. It's a flight across Geneva to the World Health Organisation. It's such a steady and beautiful shot that it really sticks in my mind.
We then find out why we're at the WHO. A terrorist group are about to break in and try to blow up the building. However, their attempt is foiled. Though, in the process, a couple of them are doused in a liquid that contains a fatally infectious disease. One of the two is shot on site, though the other makes it out of the building to escape into a nearby rail station and an awaiting train. Once onboard the audience is privileged to watch the spread of the infection as the escapee stumbles through the carriages.
What adds to the power of the film is the interconnecting stories of the travellers on the train. Some are hiding secrets, some are hiding from life, some are trying to make the best of the life they have, and some are falling in love. The diversity of characters and their realism only adds strength to the story and film. Though I will say that the strongest and best character, for me, was Herman Kaplan who is brilliantly portrayed by Lee Strasberg.
On the whole, the directing and story is pretty average, though there are a few good scenes, such as the helicopter pickup - this gets you on the edge of your seat. Then when we're coming to the climax the continual flashes to the dilapidated bridge do add an air of expectation and tension.
If there is one drawback it's the length of the film. It could have done with losing a few minutes, just to tighten up the pace a little. But that's it. The ending is superb and actually sent a shiver down my spine and left a sarcastic smile on my face.
This is a pretty good film to watch on a Sunday Afternoon when you're podged with Sunday Dinner. I would recommend this one to all the thriller and conspiracy lovers out there in the world, well worth a view or two.
42%
TOMATOMETER
· 12 reviews
52%
AUDIENCE
· 2.5K ratings
6.3/10
11.3K
•••
good film