Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

rodrig58 The truth is that I have not seen a Robert Aldrich's bad film, but only good and very good films: "Vera Cruz"(1954), "Kiss Me Deadly"(1955), "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?(1962), "The Dirty Dozen"(1967), "The Flight of the Phoenix"(1967), all these delighted with my childhood (except "Vera Cruz", I saw them at least twice). Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine are two of the best actors of all time, no comment. In this film they compete for themselves, these are probably their best roles. Marvin's scene with the cop and the stolen turkey is absolutely gorgeous when he tells the cop that the turkey is actually a dog that thinks now that he is a turkey and then Marvin asks the cop to bark. Only for that and it's worth watching. But the whole movie is exceptional. Exceptional is little said! Great is also the scene with the baptism on the river, with Marvin and the young who is sunk, played by actress Diane Dye, who is dressed in a transparent white cloth, and Marvin is staring at her visible boobs.

engima571 I have to say, this film is one of the hidden gems of the '70s. The only reason I found it was because it was recommended on Amazon after I ordered "The Dirty Dozen". It is definitely an exciting film, even if a little slow at times. The scene where Shack's train is attempting to avoid a collision with a fast mail train still resides in my memory as one of the more exciting action scenes I have ever viewed.Ernest Borgnine is excellent as the sadistic conductor, and Lee Marvin is as well in his role as a veteran freight-hopper. Keith Carradine plays his role as an arrogant, whiny youth quite well, to the point where I was genuinely disgusted with his character. Malcolm Atterbury is perfectly cast in his final film role, playing the memorable bit part of the Hogger. Oregon Pacific and Eastern #19 is also captured beautifully among the lush foliage of the Pacific Northwest. Almost all of the filming looks like it was done on location, and Borgnine and Marvin are quite convincing as "real men" who don't need stunt doubles to be impressive.The soundtrack is the only part I genuinely did not like about this movie. The tune and lyrics are both very, very '70s, and I think that some music from the period that the film is set in would be much more effective. The timing of the already flinch-worthy music is occasionally quite bad, such as in the pre-credit sequence in the very beginning of the film. In this case, Shack finishes off an unlucky hobo with a hammer, and upbeat folk music begins to play as we see his bisected body on the tracks behind the train. Really? The music was bad, but not enough to bring it down one star in my book. The film's amazing cinematography more than makes up for this shortcoming, and the performances of both the main and supporting actors further boosts my opinion of it.I would highly recommend this film for any railroad buff or action movie lover. This is truly a forgotten masterpiece that deserves a spot in any collection!

merklekranz Basically a three character cat and mouse game revolving around trains during the Great Depression. Sometimes a little over the top, but with good acting and dialog. Ernest Borgnine plays the deluded conductor obsessed with keeping hobos off his train. Lee Marvin is the number one hobo, who vows to ride Borgnines train all the way to Portland, and Keith Carradine, full of bravura, tries to dethrone Marvin by catching the same ride. Along the way, a sort of mutual admiration develops as the two hobos deal with the sadistic Borgnine. Great Oregon scenery and a realistic depression era setting adds immeasurably. The fact that there is minimal background information about the three protagonists was a slight disappointment. - MERK

runamokprods Interesting, quasi-political film of depression era hobo (Lee Marvin) - famous within hobo circles for being able to ride any train - trying to ride one guarded by meanest guy in the world (Ernest Borgnine). He picks up a young protégé (a very young Keith Carradine) along the way who -- after much resistance - he accepts as the start of the next generation of men who live by their wits and go their own way.The acting is solid throughout. The score is a bit much at times, and some of the writing is variable, but there are good scenes and thoughtful ideas about the battle between 'freedom' and playing by the rules along the way. Aka 'The Emperor of the North'.