Evasive Action

1998
4.6| 1h31m| en
Details

When Redwood Federal Penitentiary closes, there are going to be several hundred prisoners looking for a new home. Several of the most dangerous, all killers, will be transported by train to Santa Ana, a new high tech prison for the worst of the worst. Included in this transfer are: -Ian Kelly, explosions expert who has set off terrorist bombings worldwide. -Lorenzo "Enzo" Martini, a mafia kingpin who enjoyed nationwide fame before finally being put away. -Karl "The Killer" Miller, a serial killer with absolutely no conscience and an unquenchable thirst for blood. -Tommy "Zimm" Zimmer, a man who's serving life for killing his wife and her lover. -Luke Sinclair, who's finishing up the last nine months of a fifteen-year sentence for killing the man who murdered his wife. When the prisoners, under heavy security, board the last car of the train, it quickly becomes clear that an escape plan has been hatched

Director

Producted By

Royal Oaks Entertainment Inc.

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Reviews

TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film
Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall
ChampDavSlim The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.
Blake Rivera If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.
greenheart I watched this movie in a hotel room so was kind of a captive audience. Action movies on a train work, much better than any other kind of transport in my opinion. But why, why, why would you put a shed load of convicts on a passenger train in the first place? Roy Scheider was actually quite convincing as a hard man, it's just the movie is seriously flawed. The plot is ludicrous, the script poor, the acting average and what the hell ever happened to the film quote loving nutter and the little girl? There were so many people running across the roof of the train, they needed traffic signals. But in the right place at the right time, as I was, this is watchable and just made me laugh. My movie quote "We're going to need a bigger boat" No shark in their right mind would go anywhere near this version of Roy Scheider.
lost-in-limbo "I tell you Jack, I feel a whole lot better if we were flying". "Well, ever since that plane load of prisoners went down in Vegas. The FFA doesn't want anything to do with us".Cool to see a little wink to the film that it patterned itself on. "EVASIVE ACTION" is a poor man's version of "CON AIR". Being in the same film universe, you could call it Con Train, but it manages to deliver a few of its own surprises. It just doesn't stop there either, as certain characters are similar in persona and mannerisms. Instead of a top-draw cast, you get a second string ensemble. Dorian Harewood is the good-hearted criminal ala Nic Cage. Roy Scheider is the cunningly dangerous head criminal ala John Malkovich. Clint Howard is the weird psychotic prisoner that everyone fears ala Steve Buscemi. Howard doesn't do much, and his character doesn't really live up to the name Hector "The Director" Millar whose signature style was recreating the murders from horror films. Instead all does here, is look creepy, while spouting well known movie dialogues. Then there's Ray Wise, Don Swazye, Ed O'Ross, John Toles-Bey and Dick Van Patten rounding it up. The performances are all acceptable without anyone really standing out.For what it is, plot mechanics stay simple. Predictable character traits and motivations linger, being brutal when it wants to be. Mayhem and pacing stays frequent, in spite of its minimal intensity, a few stunts had a degree of tension and were extremely well-shot. This durable, straight shooting b-grade actioner delivers on the quota.
suchenwi Trains have been a popular aim for movie cameras, ever since the Lumière brothers in 1896. Take the 1903 Great Train Robbery, Keaton's General, La bête humaine, Under Siege 2, and many many more. I admit to have a special liking for them, and couldn't resist when I saw this one for €1.99 in the shop. Was it worth it? I'm undecided. I wouldn't call it good, nor bad.. let's call it middling? What I liked most were the beginning jail scenes - far from Shawshank Redemption or Green Mile, but quite nicely done. Hey, this is a "direct to video" on a low budget.. even B movies of old were made for the big screen!On the other hand, this little thing shows ambitions. Two scenes of jumping on the rushing train, from a collapsing helicopter and from a motorbike, were hinted at but not exactly shown (impossible to do? too expensive?) But then, in Mission Impossible you even had a helicopter chasing the train in the tunnel! The climax shows that the makers had watched Silver Streak (one of my favorite train movies), but couldn't afford a worthy remake. Most bizarre I found how the many people in L.A. Union Station seemed not to bother at all at the "catastrophe", just keeping wending their ways... or was it the desert the train was in, 9 minutes from LA?Lots of incontinuities. Where was Donner Pass (a famous rail location!) I kept hearing about? How silly can you misrepresent a railroad control room, and its screen display? And does California really have about ten policemen (or did the budget forbid using more)?And yet, it did have its charms. Even though it was very probably made by adults, now thinking more about it, this movie somehow exudes the embarrassing but fun experience of watching a high-school theater project. Reconsidering, I give it 7/10 - five for middling, but one bonus point each for being set on a train, and for the hilarious audacity of trying to do a much bigger show than the budget would allow... :) I haven't watched Con Air, so I can't compare. But if you like "train exploitation", this film may be worth US$3 to add to the collection, and 90 minutes to watch.
WWJD-2 This mess of movie is just a big Con Air Rip Off. The Story, The Names, The End. Like, Clint Howards character is named Hector "The Director" and his bald compare with Malkovich character the balded Cyrus "The Virus". Don't bother watch this movie unless you are like me fan of direct-to-video movies. And at last Don Swayze looks like a Ostrich in the movie.