"Atomic Train" bomb

MarkInLA Nov 18, 2015

  1. MarkInLA

    MarkInLA Permanently dispatched

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    Hi. I've been going through watching train movies on Youtube. So I found "Atomic Train" and set out to watch it. Compared to say "Unstoppable" which had very poor visuals of the cabs and that stupid scene near the end where the engine is tilted and running on one rail while screeching and sparking around a curve ( No train could ever do this, riding on its flanges and other side in the air. This and some other dumb stuff was a big turnoff for me. 2 Star rating.
    So, here I am enjoying much of the scenes in "Atomic " as they were much closer to depicting cab activity; the shots of the controls, the caboose rear ended and other stuff that worked for me. THEN BOOM, here we go again with the helicopter/drop the hero onto the moving train. That obviously way wide cat walk for Lowe (stuntman) to jump onto; the convenient aisle way between the yellow oil drums on the flat car, the unreadable road name on the engines ( No, they couldn't possibly paint a fictitious name on them like " Western Blue Lines" or "Feather River Road"..Nope, not Hollywood...Will they ever capture trains correctly ? !
    Then, boom, the whole train ditches and explodes.. OK they stopped the runaway, some smooching and credits come up ...Nope ! We are near 2 hours in, trains are finished , including the hideous control tower/main offices shoots; that big digital screen they follow the trains by...And then, boom ! Another hour to go ! ! . I turned it off there and said, no I'm NOT going to be tortured another friggin' hour, and with no more RR action.. One more thing I near forgot : The young red haired fireman (?). He evacuates the eminent death approaching, jumps off as per engineer's order, 2 engines go by and he grabs the hand rails and jumps back on making us believe he, the rookie was going to surprise us all with an unexpected rescue or such. Nope. Boom ! he looses his grip and uselessly falls to the tracks below ! ! What was THAT for !! It didn't even add anything to the plot. As if the kid deserved it or something ! 5 minute unnecessary footage !! .......OK, then I watch "the General" with Buster Keaton, for maybe the 2nd or 3rd time I've seen it, and made when, the late 1920s ? !! Sheer perfection from soup to nuts; trains and more trains and dangerous stunts by Keaton himself . The seen at the end where humorously, since he's now a lieutenant is kissing his gal and keeps having now to salute soldiers going by, instead keeps kissing her and continuously saluting without stopping kissing ! ! Real good comedy ! Fantastic RR entertainment and yet modern Hollywood can't get it right, again and again, when it comes to trains !!
    One really great one, made in NYC is, of course, the original "the Taking of Pelham 123 " with Walter Matheau , George Shaw ("Jaws") and Eli Wallick..one long thrill ride, end to end !!
    I near forgot. The most important thing that they don't want the audience toknow is that all that need to be done in real life run away is send the helper engines (say 6) ahead of it and get rolling enough to have run away catch up to them, then begin hunkering down. Then of course new crew hops onto porch of run away and perhaps, armed with right equipment, cuts, say, the main leads from the traction motors...Well, sort of like that....
    Another train film bombs !!
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2015
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  2. John Smith

    John Smith TrainBoard Member

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    The only believable thing in "Atomic Train" was... the little scene between the "Head Dispatcher"(HD) and the "Army Captain"(AC) in the beginning of the movie.

    HD-"What do you know about trains Captain?"
    AC-"They run on tracks?"
    HD-"Yeah, on GOOD days!"

    Pretty much sums it all up. JMS
     
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  3. mathygreen

    mathygreen New Member

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    pretty interesting just watched it recently though...
    save the city of denver pretty sums it up

    HD-"What do you know about trains Captain?"
    AC-"They run on tracks?"
    HD-"Yeah, on GOOD days!"
    though these lines were interesting....
     
  4. fitz

    fitz TrainBoard Member

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    May I suggest "Tough Guys" starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and Doyle McCormack? 4449 too.
     
  5. sd90ns

    sd90ns TrainBoard Member

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    "Crack in the World" (1965) Dana Andrews, Janette Scott.
    Though not about trains or railroads it has one of the most harrowing train wrecks I've ever seen depicted in a movie.
     
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