The first hungarian action movie had a very good idea, but unfortunately the realisation was awful. The action parts were stupid and boring (mostly the part where Iván Kamarás shot the terrorists, while holding his gun horizontally), the non-action parts were mediocre (as I have said: good idea, bad realisation) I've given it a 3/10... but if you like bad movies, it's a 9/10.
7 Reviews
Dead-End Express
driller-221 July 2000
Another nail in the coffin of hungarian filmmaking - but this time it's a big one. What a godawful movie! Actors and filmmakers are equally inept, the script is a joke, and those action scenes!!! I wish I could forget them! A TOTAL CINEMATIC DISASTER !!!
The first Hungarian action film!
Geyza15 March 1999
The director and producer of this film says that this is the first Hungarian action adventure film. There is only one problem: that they have made it. This film is hundred percent Hollywood copying only in a piteous way. A real Z-category action film worst than a Michael Dudukoff - Dolph Lundgren movie. The script is very simple, very similar to Under Siege2. Only they made it too stupid: the writers have a strange opportunity about the audience: they put the intellectual level very low. They think that people that watch action movies are all mentally retarded. I think not. Well, the summary is that this is a really funny film, altought it shouldn't be one. It is a strange mixture of a Steven Seagal action film and The Muppet show in a banal way.
Good entertainment from Hungary
hazikristof1 August 2005
I personally liked this movie. Compared to Hollywood multi-million dollar movies, this relatively low budget European action film has all the elements that you expect from this genre. True, the plot has some gaps and some overly simple solutions but the movie is enjoyable, good ENTERTAINMENT. The production is the best I have seen from any Hungarian movies (or from any other country in the region, for that matter) ; directing is decent, REALLY GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY, BELIEVABLE STUNTS, AMAZING MUSIC SCORE, fairly good surround sound, etc. Though acting is probably the weakest part of the movie, I still definitely recommend it.
Uneven, not very convincing
suchenwi16 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
For fans of train movies, this one offers several shots of a M41 diesel loco with InterCity coaches, on an idyllic single-track line in green countryside. (But didn't the story have it on the Budapest-Vienna mainline, which I recall is certainly double-tracked and electrified?) We get some of the classic ingredients of train movies: jumping on the departing train; landing from helicopter; running on the coach roofs; trying to decouple coaches from the running train (it didn't happen, and it couldn't, as it would immediately trigger the emergency brake); the driver-less train rushing into the terminus station (with a remarkable point landing - this didn't have Silver Streak budget). If there wasn't so much gratuitous violence (including two slashed throats), one could enjoy the unwilling comedic aspects more.
No, what stuck with me more were the Hungarian actors, whom I haven't seen before. Kata Dobó is star-billed, but doesn't have that much impact (except maybe in the last 15 minutes, where she evolves into a cool-blooded killer). But the "Ukrainian mafiosi" were quite memorable, as were the older police officers.
Continuity: a hostage woman jumps from the running train, and rolls down a wooded slope. The train is stopped (which would take several 100 meters), a door is opened - and there she stands, just few meters away from the train, on flat land. To make us suspend disbelief, some (much) more plausibility checks should have been done.
All in all, I was disappointed, though I wouldn't say it was all bad. Just too incongruent too often. And the interesting concept of masquerading stations could have been milked more, especially in the Budapest finale. Showing a "Wien Westbahnhof" sign twice was far from enough..
For an Hungarian train-bound movie, I'd rather recommend "Kontroll".
No, what stuck with me more were the Hungarian actors, whom I haven't seen before. Kata Dobó is star-billed, but doesn't have that much impact (except maybe in the last 15 minutes, where she evolves into a cool-blooded killer). But the "Ukrainian mafiosi" were quite memorable, as were the older police officers.
Continuity: a hostage woman jumps from the running train, and rolls down a wooded slope. The train is stopped (which would take several 100 meters), a door is opened - and there she stands, just few meters away from the train, on flat land. To make us suspend disbelief, some (much) more plausibility checks should have been done.
All in all, I was disappointed, though I wouldn't say it was all bad. Just too incongruent too often. And the interesting concept of masquerading stations could have been milked more, especially in the Budapest finale. Showing a "Wien Westbahnhof" sign twice was far from enough..
For an Hungarian train-bound movie, I'd rather recommend "Kontroll".
Good idea
tothjozsef21 January 2000
This is the first Hungarian action movie! Not as good as American movies, but not bad. In this film play Hungarian "stars", like Dobo Kata, Sthol András and more, so this film is popular. Now the filmmakers make TV-series from this movie. It's a good idea.
Definitely enjoyable
millenniumsee13 October 2009
A quite good movie - given the low budget of European action features, the production is surprisingly good (good lighting, superb photography and class A music score), acting is fair, the story, though not original, has enough twists to make the film stand out from the many action-only mindless flicks. No point of comparing to major features; the action is thinner but the idea behind the story is deeper and less predictable than your average Saturday night action/adventure. Acting isn't the strongest point but the directing and production greatly helps to sell the story, and create enough dynamics to keep you interested throughout.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
