El tren de la muerte

Suspenseful and intriguing movie with all-star-cast and professionally directed . Stirring and interesting thriller with some clichés and stereotypes , containing enjoyable performances from Pierce Brosnan , Patrick Stewart , Alexandra Paul , Christopher Lee and Ted Levine . PA German Scientist has aided a renegade Soviet general (Christopher Lee) constructing a nuclear weapon which is now in a locomotive (it is actually a Slovenian type 642) that was hijacked in Bremen . As a nuclear bomb is stolen and transported from Germany , throughout Switzerland , Slovenia , Yugoslavia to Iraq . The hijacked train is commandeered by a hired hand , a ruthless mercenary (Ted Levine) and his band of hoodlums . The U.N. troubleshooter delegated (Patrick Stewart) attempts to stop the plot aided by a commando team led by Michael ¨Mike¨ Graham (Pierce Brosnan) and Sabrina Carver (Alexandra Paul) . They will race against time to stop an unmanned , out of control freight train carrying terrorists , atomic bomb and explosives . The mission is impossible , the consequences deadly.

This is and amusing and entertaining action movie though has some sloppy executions . This formula intrigue movie belongs to action genre in style of the 70s , being followed in the subsequent decades . The film profits of an acceptable acting by protagonists and overwhelming action scenes . It blends thrills , chills , shootouts , noisy action-packed , international intrigue , and many other things . It is a crossover in which "The Runaway Train" meets ¨Under siege 2¨ , taking parts here and there . This moving picture which is short in realism instead we have far-fetched but moving blow up , crossfire , fighting , it should please most adventure-action buffs . The main and support cast are frankly good , as Pierce Brosnan and Alexandra Paul , both of whom playing two operatives acting for the Secret United Nations Anti-Crime Organization (UNACO) . Secondary cast is plenty with known faces such as Ted Levine , Clarke Peters and Christopher Lee as an ex general who attempts to reborn the Russian Empire .

Based on an Alistair MacLean's novel , a best-selling author , whose stories have been much better rendered in other occasions . Scottish Alistair employed the pseudonym Ian Stuart several times in order to prove that his books were best-sellers due to their content and not solely because his name appeared on the cover . This is one of the several adaptations based on his novels and most of them set in WW2 , such as the successful ¨Where the eagles dare¨ and ¨Guns of Navarone¨ . Furthermore, ¨Ice Station Cebra¨ that is the first of two movies based on an Alistair MacLean novel set in rugged icy and snowy terrain , the second would be ¨Bear Island¨ . ¨Ice Station Zebra¨ is one of two filmed Alistair MacLean adaptations directed by John Sturges , the other was ¨The Satan Bug¨ made and released about three years earlier . Other novels adapted on cinematic spectacle are ¨Nevada Express¨, ¨Force 10 from Navarone¨ , ¨The Golden Rendezvous¨ and ¨River of Death¨ . This ¨Detonator¨ (1993) was followed by a sequel ¨Detonator 2 : Night Watch¨ (1995) by David Jackson , also based on a story by Alistair MacLean in which Pierce Brosnan and Alexandra Paul return as intrepid operatives , they are teamed by their boss -William Devane- when it is discovered that ¨Rembrandt's Night Watch¨ has been replaced by a forgery ; then our valiant duo to Hong Kong , there they meet a shady computer expert/art collector and a suspicious satellite about to be launched by North Korea .

Luminous and atmospheric cinematography by director of photography Timothy Eaton , though a perfect remastering is necessary ; being filmed on location in Slovenia and Zagreb , Croatia . Fitted to action but inappropriate musical score by Trevor Jones , composed by means of synthesizer . This improbable motion picture was decently produced by Peter Snell , being professionally directed by David Jackson , but with no originality . He's a good TV director who subsequently made another similar film titled ¨Atomic train¨ (1999) with Rob Lowe and Kristin Davis . Although the movie has some aspects a little tough to take , this catastrophe film still has its moments . This large-scale and well produced TV movie attempts a spectacular atmosphere with passable results.

Here are my suggestions for the cartoon bubbles over the actors heads that showed what they were really thinking at the time:

Pierce Brosnan: "My God, what am I doing in this piece of garbage"?

Patrick Stewart: "Where am I? This isn't a starship".

Miss ex-Babewatch: "Why won't anyone take me seriously? Mine aren't as big as Pamela's. See?"

What a dreadful piece of crap. No wonder Alistair Maclean didn't want anything to do with it.

This film has a lot going for it: A simple, but nonetheless engaging, plot, cool action sequences and some fantastic casting. Patrick Stewart and Christopher Lee are, it almost goes without saying, superb. Alexandra Paul really should get more lead roles and Ted Levine makes a pretty good bad guy.

Top marks, though, go to Pierce Brosnan. Despite having to deliver some truly awful dialogue in places he brings the role off to perfection. His "Mike Graham" could be James Bond using a pseudonym (although without the gadgets), and it's no wonder that he went on to become the best Bond so far (and yes I do remember Connery).

This film rates up there with True Lies and The Rock as one of those films that sort of is a Bond film really, even tho' it isn't.

"Death Train" is not that bad.You can watch it easily but you can't expect anything from this movie.Big stars are joined in this one,such as Pierce Brosnan,Patrick Stewart and Christopher Lee.This movie isn't good but it isn't bad too.Somewhere stuck in the middle.I know the film locations so it's a bit interesting to watch the movie and realize that movie stars of this class where in your country.It's not that usual to see Brosnan,Stewart and Lee in Croatia and I think that they all did good job.Most of them did this because of money but hey isn't that what all people do?I realize that there are lots of mistakes in this movie and that plot is quite stupid but try to turn off for a 90 min. and just watch the movie.It will work,just don't think about reality of the situation because there aren't any.But we've got excellent male actors in this movie and everybody knows about them.But they have to act sometimes in movies like this.5/10

Now on DVD as Detonator, this was a USA Network Original Movie as Alistair MacLean's Death Train. There is also a sequel Detonator II, or Night Watch. Oddly, even though this was first shown on the USA Network, it is available Widescreen and has a small bit of language.

The cast shines here with Ted Lavine (Captain Stottlemeyer on Monk) as the mercenary who high-jacks a train with a nuclear device on it. Ted Lavine is great in these small crazy roles. The Living Legend, Christopher Lee, (Saruman in the Lord of the Rings movies) in one of his non-horror roles, is the Russian General who hired Levine. Any movie with Christopher Lee is worth watching, and this one shows off his ability to speak Russian. Also on board are Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard on Star Trek TNG), Alexandra Paul (Baywatch), and Pierce Brosnan (007) as the Hero.

The story is one where Cold Warriors freak out over the lack of a cold war and do horrible thing to start it back up again. Tom Clancy has covered this territory, the Bush Administration has been all about re-starting tension from day one, so nothing new, but it is entertaining.