I only bought this film with the hope to see Arnold Vosloo as a proper psycho villain again but like in most of his films he doesn't get much screen time at all which is very frustrating because he's the best thing in the film, in my opinion. The film is bad and totally unoriginal but it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's a bit like a big-budget American TV series. Some of the action is enjoyable because it's not done on the cheap as I expected but there is way too much deja-vu. Sean and Ursula do an alright job, although I'd have preferred them getting someone better looking and cooler to play Natalya (simply because she is supposed to be this enigmatic & beautiful character) and Sean hasn't got enough weight to carry the film on his own as the leading man, especially with someone like Vosloo as the villain. The hilarious bit of nudity was gratuitous and pathetic, but the actors make you forget it quickly enough, thank gowd! The "crazy, violent & unstable" Russian stereotypes are very outdated and preposterous but the actors play their parts well, especially Vosloo(apart from his accent) who always looks at best as the big villain with his stature and expressive face (although I cringed at some of his lines). Anyway, I suggest you don't waste money on this DVD, only perhaps if you are a fan of Sean's or Vosloo's because there are much superior action/terrorism alternatives out there.
16 Reviews
A Potboiler That Simmers
zardoz-1318 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This familiar, far-fetched, formulaic actioneer about an indestructible Alaskan Customs agent, Alex Brooks (Sean Patrick Flanery of "The Boondock Saints"), and a renegade Russian general, Anton Simeonov (Arnold Vosloo of "The Mummy"), who tangle over three barrels of highly toxic Sarin gas boasts few surprises. Odorless, colorless and 26 times more deadly than cyanide, this lethal biochemical stuff has been stolen from a Russian facility, and Simeonov and his trigger-happy band of terrorists not only wipe out armed Defense Department troops assigned to guard the deadly cargo on the Yukon Express but also take over the train. Of course, one of the DD troops survives the massacre, but he doesn't last much longer. Simeonov discovers that the plans of mice and men rarely work out.
Director Terry Cunningham and "Escape Velocity" scenarist Paul A. Birkett sabotage what little suspense that they try to drum up early into this 94-minute made-for-television melodrama with a garrulous question and answer dialogue scene between Brooks and two senior bureaucrats. Mind you, these two buttoned-down, suit-and-tie executives, Agent Rowe (J. Patrick McCormack of "Zodiac") and Commissioner Dunn (Michael Kagan of "The Chaos Factor"), are grilling our hero after the fact. Rowe wants to establish beyond a shadow of a doubt the moral and ethical values by which our hero conducts his life. Consequently, suspense gets the short shrift because it is clear that our hero has survived the obstacle course-laden adventure. Eventually, Cunningham and Birkett shift from this long-winded expository scene to the bullet-riddled action.
A sexy Russian agent, Natalya (German actress Ursula Karven), who displays deadly accuracy with a pair of automatic pistols in her fists, teams up reluctantly with Brooks to apprehend Simeonov. She has a persoal vendetta to settle with the rogue Russian ruffian. Brooks and his team are inspecting suspected barrels of contraband material when all hell breaks loose about 15 minutes into the story and everybody starting blasting away at each other. Brooks learns that he has interfered with an FBI undercover operation. They capture Simeonov, but the evil Russian escapes when they put him in handcuffs on a flight to Washington, D.C. Naturally, Brooks and Natalya accompany Simeonov but survive a plane crash in the middle of the rugged, snow-swept Alaska countryside. Simeonov bailed out with the other bad guys. Meantime, Natalya manages to halt the plane on a mountain cliff with the nose protruding over the edge of the mountain. They trudge through the wilderness and warm up at a convenient cabin with all the amenities. This gives Cunningham an excuse to let both Brooks and Natalya strip off their sodden clothing. The hero and heroine parade around each other naked and inspect each for hidden weapons.
Predictably, Natalya doesn't trust Brooks and they have a tough time bonding. Meanwhile, Simeonov sends a squad of his henchmen armed with assault rifles to check the plane crash to assure him that Natalya is kaput. When they cannot locate her body or Brooks, they cruise off to the cabin. A noisy gunfight erupts and our hero and heroine triumph over twice their number and take an SUV to catch up with Simeonov. By how, Simeonov has commandeered the train and everything is looking good, until he realizes that the throttle on the locomotive is jammed and there is no way to halt the runaway train.
Before it is all over, including the train careening out of control and an avalanche roaring down on top of him, Brooks has to contend with another villain who has pulled a fast one on everybody. He arrives at a nearby airport as the villains are trying to get away on a twin-engine plane and uses to a semi-truck to stop the plane from taking off. Veteran actor Tim Thomerson of "Dollman vs. Demonic Toys" has a small role as Brooks' superior.
Cunningham seamlessly integrates stock footage from three theatrical releases, including "Runaway Train," "Cliffhanger," and—believe it or not—"Stop or My Mom Will Shoot" into the action. Dependable heavy Arnold Vosloo delivers the best performance, while Flanery maintains his unflappable cool throughout the mayhem and takes a bullet in the shoulder. Altogether, this forgettable potboiler may take your mind off your problems, but don't expect much more than a minor distraction.
Director Terry Cunningham and "Escape Velocity" scenarist Paul A. Birkett sabotage what little suspense that they try to drum up early into this 94-minute made-for-television melodrama with a garrulous question and answer dialogue scene between Brooks and two senior bureaucrats. Mind you, these two buttoned-down, suit-and-tie executives, Agent Rowe (J. Patrick McCormack of "Zodiac") and Commissioner Dunn (Michael Kagan of "The Chaos Factor"), are grilling our hero after the fact. Rowe wants to establish beyond a shadow of a doubt the moral and ethical values by which our hero conducts his life. Consequently, suspense gets the short shrift because it is clear that our hero has survived the obstacle course-laden adventure. Eventually, Cunningham and Birkett shift from this long-winded expository scene to the bullet-riddled action.
A sexy Russian agent, Natalya (German actress Ursula Karven), who displays deadly accuracy with a pair of automatic pistols in her fists, teams up reluctantly with Brooks to apprehend Simeonov. She has a persoal vendetta to settle with the rogue Russian ruffian. Brooks and his team are inspecting suspected barrels of contraband material when all hell breaks loose about 15 minutes into the story and everybody starting blasting away at each other. Brooks learns that he has interfered with an FBI undercover operation. They capture Simeonov, but the evil Russian escapes when they put him in handcuffs on a flight to Washington, D.C. Naturally, Brooks and Natalya accompany Simeonov but survive a plane crash in the middle of the rugged, snow-swept Alaska countryside. Simeonov bailed out with the other bad guys. Meantime, Natalya manages to halt the plane on a mountain cliff with the nose protruding over the edge of the mountain. They trudge through the wilderness and warm up at a convenient cabin with all the amenities. This gives Cunningham an excuse to let both Brooks and Natalya strip off their sodden clothing. The hero and heroine parade around each other naked and inspect each for hidden weapons.
Predictably, Natalya doesn't trust Brooks and they have a tough time bonding. Meanwhile, Simeonov sends a squad of his henchmen armed with assault rifles to check the plane crash to assure him that Natalya is kaput. When they cannot locate her body or Brooks, they cruise off to the cabin. A noisy gunfight erupts and our hero and heroine triumph over twice their number and take an SUV to catch up with Simeonov. By how, Simeonov has commandeered the train and everything is looking good, until he realizes that the throttle on the locomotive is jammed and there is no way to halt the runaway train.
Before it is all over, including the train careening out of control and an avalanche roaring down on top of him, Brooks has to contend with another villain who has pulled a fast one on everybody. He arrives at a nearby airport as the villains are trying to get away on a twin-engine plane and uses to a semi-truck to stop the plane from taking off. Veteran actor Tim Thomerson of "Dollman vs. Demonic Toys" has a small role as Brooks' superior.
Cunningham seamlessly integrates stock footage from three theatrical releases, including "Runaway Train," "Cliffhanger," and—believe it or not—"Stop or My Mom Will Shoot" into the action. Dependable heavy Arnold Vosloo delivers the best performance, while Flanery maintains his unflappable cool throughout the mayhem and takes a bullet in the shoulder. Altogether, this forgettable potboiler may take your mind off your problems, but don't expect much more than a minor distraction.
This Movie is OK
russ-waddel15 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
It's a good movie, for a B-List action flick. I mean, the only real headliners are Sean Patrick Flannery and Arnold Vosloo. It is a direct-to-DVD release that has a LOT of footage from other movies.
SPOILERS: If you haven't seen the movie, then please, skip down. The most annoying parts are the plane crash (taken from Stallone's movie "Cliffhanger" and some of the train scenes taken from some 1985 movie I've never heard of. The other annoying part is that in the climax of the movie, the true bad guy (played by Tim Thomerson) shoots 15 shots from a 6-shot revolver. I mean, I thought Hollywood was done with that when the old spaghetti western went out with John Wayne. Please, if you are going to have a guy shoot that many shots, at least give him a Baretta. END OF SPOILERS
So, overall, if you like action films, this one is good. It has plenty of action, plenty of OK special effects, and a good story. If anything, Arnold Vosloo is a highlight as the film's main antagonist, as he has plenty of psychotic henchmen. He even makes some of the cheesy, action movie cliché dialog believable.
SPOILERS: If you haven't seen the movie, then please, skip down. The most annoying parts are the plane crash (taken from Stallone's movie "Cliffhanger" and some of the train scenes taken from some 1985 movie I've never heard of. The other annoying part is that in the climax of the movie, the true bad guy (played by Tim Thomerson) shoots 15 shots from a 6-shot revolver. I mean, I thought Hollywood was done with that when the old spaghetti western went out with John Wayne. Please, if you are going to have a guy shoot that many shots, at least give him a Baretta. END OF SPOILERS
So, overall, if you like action films, this one is good. It has plenty of action, plenty of OK special effects, and a good story. If anything, Arnold Vosloo is a highlight as the film's main antagonist, as he has plenty of psychotic henchmen. He even makes some of the cheesy, action movie cliché dialog believable.
very weak action picture.....don't bother
JimmyL555517 October 2006
The entire movie is set in Flashback mode as an agent tells his superiors what happened in a Russian biochemical weapon terrorist transaction aboard a train that resulted in a huge folder of paperwork. The movie takes a while to get going, but once it does, you ride on the wave, and it doesn't get any faster than 2nd gear. Footage from the 1985 Eric Roberts' movie "Runaway Train" is used, and you kind of wish your were watching THAT movie instead. There is very little, if any, suspense, and it's a total waste of two hours. If you want to see this kind of story done well with edge-of-your-seat suspense, I'd recommend "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory" and "Atomic Train".
Railroad content sadly unrealistic
gbachlund11 January 2004
Not a bad film as far as that goes, but anyone familiar with railroads and trains will be annoyed by the cavalier production values.
Obviously, a railroad consultant was not employed, and such a consultant's absence is wildly obvious - for examplpe, a living-room-sized cab mock-up many times the size of the cab of the featured locomotive, with engine controls that are wholly unrealistic, etc.
Of course, a non-railroad audience will be oblivious to this. Still, it's sad that a few of today's films, like "Con Express," are technically slipshod.
Obviously, a railroad consultant was not employed, and such a consultant's absence is wildly obvious - for examplpe, a living-room-sized cab mock-up many times the size of the cab of the featured locomotive, with engine controls that are wholly unrealistic, etc.
Of course, a non-railroad audience will be oblivious to this. Still, it's sad that a few of today's films, like "Con Express," are technically slipshod.
Not what I hoped for
Greenskye00729 June 2004
It has been a long time since I have seen a movie of this caliber (I didn't think it existed anymore). It was not good! In fact it was terrible.
The acting was equal to that of 2 Fast 2 Furious, the attempted special effects where B rate 10 years ago. I am not psychic but was able to predict every event during the movie. This was actually quite fun and was the only thing keeping the DVD from being thrown out the window.
The nude scene was about the only piece of acting that was not pathetic. Simply because they didn't have to move much and the dialogue in the scene was very short so they didn't have much time to make it sound that bad.
I like action, I like suspense, I also like a story with a good plot maybe a few wise crack comments thrown around and I like to see a movie that looks like it was made by professionals and not a couple of guys slapping something together in the basement.
So on that note, if you feel like watching a good movie: skip this one. If you feel like wasting a few bucks and throwing away a perfectly decent evening, then this one is for you.
The acting was equal to that of 2 Fast 2 Furious, the attempted special effects where B rate 10 years ago. I am not psychic but was able to predict every event during the movie. This was actually quite fun and was the only thing keeping the DVD from being thrown out the window.
The nude scene was about the only piece of acting that was not pathetic. Simply because they didn't have to move much and the dialogue in the scene was very short so they didn't have much time to make it sound that bad.
I like action, I like suspense, I also like a story with a good plot maybe a few wise crack comments thrown around and I like to see a movie that looks like it was made by professionals and not a couple of guys slapping something together in the basement.
So on that note, if you feel like watching a good movie: skip this one. If you feel like wasting a few bucks and throwing away a perfectly decent evening, then this one is for you.
Its not just a mediocre Movie
sonthert12 November 2011
This movie really isn't that bad.
The acting isn't ponderous or terribly compelling, the story line is interesting, perhaps a little predictable. The actors are a relatively obscure lot. I may not be the most knowledgeable guy when it comes to low-grade actors, but I kinda enjoyed the cannibal Russian. He was funny. Not in an intentional way unfortunately.
What kills the movie is the huge number of continuity problems.
The soundtrack is terrible. Typical canned background score.
I don't want to say too much about this movie. Watch it once. Or not. Its not the end of the world either way.
The acting isn't ponderous or terribly compelling, the story line is interesting, perhaps a little predictable. The actors are a relatively obscure lot. I may not be the most knowledgeable guy when it comes to low-grade actors, but I kinda enjoyed the cannibal Russian. He was funny. Not in an intentional way unfortunately.
What kills the movie is the huge number of continuity problems.
The soundtrack is terrible. Typical canned background score.
I don't want to say too much about this movie. Watch it once. Or not. Its not the end of the world either way.
A ok film but if it wasn't for Arnold Vosloo it wouldn't have been as good.
Movie Nuttball8 February 2003
The film is OK. If it wasn't for Arnold Vosloo and the train scenes this film wouldn't have been a good one. Though I didn't think the nudity was needed but it seemed after that part the film really began. Vosloo put on a great performance and his Russian accent was really good. The other two villains were good and had big potential but the film never gave them a chance to be real bad guys. The music was really good and it could have been in a blockbuster film. Overall like I said the film after close to an hour or so the film really began after the nude scene with some good action especially the bald bad guy scene on top of the train. If you like Arnold Vosloo and train action then see this film soon!
Pretty good for an Action B-Movie
krkptr123 July 2002
Con Express is a second rate action movie with first rate directon, acting and an effective score.
I 1st saw a screening of it at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuk, Michigan and then recently on it's DVD. This movie also has a good sense of humor and doesn't take itself too seriously. The direction of Terry Cunnigham is rather innovative considering the productions budgetary limitations. Sean Patrick Flanery is great and I've been a fan of his ever sine The Boondock Saints. And Arnold Vosloo is the villian. (That's right the Mummy from The Mummy, and also the much better Hard Target, directed by action-master John Woo) He's the world's most dangerous terrorist and he's just stolen some barrels of the deadly Saran gas. Flanery plays Alex Brooks a post Sept. 11th Alaskan Customs agent who catches Simconov (Vosloo) and confiscates the barrels of Saran. Brooks is accompanied by a female agent named Natalya (Ursula Karven) who is after Simconov for revenge after he bombed a federal building with her son inside. They get on a plane with Simconov in custody, but it isn't long before everything goes wrong. Simconov parachutes out of the plane and then it crashes. The only survivors are Brooks and Natalya. It's up to them to stop Simconov from retrieving the barrels of Saran, which are on a train guarded with Marines heading through the Canadian wilderness.
Lots of action, plenty of smiles and an overall worthwhile watch.
(Also B-Movie veteran Tim Thomerson of Trancers fame plays Brooks superior.)
I 1st saw a screening of it at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuk, Michigan and then recently on it's DVD. This movie also has a good sense of humor and doesn't take itself too seriously. The direction of Terry Cunnigham is rather innovative considering the productions budgetary limitations. Sean Patrick Flanery is great and I've been a fan of his ever sine The Boondock Saints. And Arnold Vosloo is the villian. (That's right the Mummy from The Mummy, and also the much better Hard Target, directed by action-master John Woo) He's the world's most dangerous terrorist and he's just stolen some barrels of the deadly Saran gas. Flanery plays Alex Brooks a post Sept. 11th Alaskan Customs agent who catches Simconov (Vosloo) and confiscates the barrels of Saran. Brooks is accompanied by a female agent named Natalya (Ursula Karven) who is after Simconov for revenge after he bombed a federal building with her son inside. They get on a plane with Simconov in custody, but it isn't long before everything goes wrong. Simconov parachutes out of the plane and then it crashes. The only survivors are Brooks and Natalya. It's up to them to stop Simconov from retrieving the barrels of Saran, which are on a train guarded with Marines heading through the Canadian wilderness.
Lots of action, plenty of smiles and an overall worthwhile watch.
(Also B-Movie veteran Tim Thomerson of Trancers fame plays Brooks superior.)
It's an OK film
daria8415 February 2003
I rented this film yesterday only b/c I am a huge fan of Arnold Vosloo and his work. Anyways the movie turned out a lot better than what I expected, Arnold was excellent as the russian bad guy, his accent and his whole performance made him really believable, as all (or almost all) the characters he plays.
I also think the nudity scene was totally unnecesary, that is the only really dumb thing in this movie. The rest of the cast are good too, except for the cannibal guy who totally grossed me out and his performance was terrible.
Anyways the plot of the movie is good, the characters were good too, so if you like action movies and Arnold Vosloo, this is a must-see.
I also think the nudity scene was totally unnecesary, that is the only really dumb thing in this movie. The rest of the cast are good too, except for the cannibal guy who totally grossed me out and his performance was terrible.
Anyways the plot of the movie is good, the characters were good too, so if you like action movies and Arnold Vosloo, this is a must-see.
"Con Express" is a fun flick.
tarbosh2200012 May 2010
"Con Express" is a fun flick.
The plot goes like this: Alex Brooks (Flanery) is an special agent assigned to bring down Anton Simeonov (Vosloo) who has a nuclear device. Brooks has to team up with another agent (Ursula Karven) when he gets double-crossed. The Cold War is back and it's heating up...
This is one of the last movies produced by PM entertainment. It looks like they spared no expense (except the stock footage of "Runaway Train"). The action scenes are well-shot. The stand-out is the gunfight in the cabin. Flanery, Karven, and Vosloo put in good performances for the silly material.
If you're looking for a good couch potato movie, "Con Express" should fit the bill.
For more insanity, check out: comeuppancereviews.com
The plot goes like this: Alex Brooks (Flanery) is an special agent assigned to bring down Anton Simeonov (Vosloo) who has a nuclear device. Brooks has to team up with another agent (Ursula Karven) when he gets double-crossed. The Cold War is back and it's heating up...
This is one of the last movies produced by PM entertainment. It looks like they spared no expense (except the stock footage of "Runaway Train"). The action scenes are well-shot. The stand-out is the gunfight in the cabin. Flanery, Karven, and Vosloo put in good performances for the silly material.
If you're looking for a good couch potato movie, "Con Express" should fit the bill.
For more insanity, check out: comeuppancereviews.com
I can't wait until Con Express 2!
pete_schneider6 December 2004
One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. OK, so it's not The Matrix or Lord of the Rings - but it's not trying to be either. Con Express is something different.
The main characters, played by Arnold Vosloo and Sean Patrick Flanery, deliver countless moments of pure cinematic excellence. The train scenes are overflowing with action and somewhat reminiscent of James Bond's "The Spy Who Loved Me".
At its most basic, the story revolves around two cold war rivals who have both been deceived by a classic "good guy gone bad" high ranking officer. It's near impossible to portray the feeling of betrayal that must be going through the mind of Anton Simeonov towards the end of Con Express, but Vosloo does it perfectly.
With impressive music and actors who really know how to act, Con Express will keep you at the edge of your seat throughout!
The main characters, played by Arnold Vosloo and Sean Patrick Flanery, deliver countless moments of pure cinematic excellence. The train scenes are overflowing with action and somewhat reminiscent of James Bond's "The Spy Who Loved Me".
At its most basic, the story revolves around two cold war rivals who have both been deceived by a classic "good guy gone bad" high ranking officer. It's near impossible to portray the feeling of betrayal that must be going through the mind of Anton Simeonov towards the end of Con Express, but Vosloo does it perfectly.
With impressive music and actors who really know how to act, Con Express will keep you at the edge of your seat throughout!
Vosloo does it again!
tesslink800_7 December 2004
What can I say? Vosloo has done it again! I had the chance to watch this movie recently and I thought it was great, however, it isn't perfect, but what is? Vosloo is perfectly cast in the role and adds great charm and wit to an otherwise serious and plot-driven film. Vosloo's facial gestures and expressions simply brighten up the screen and his personality as a bad guy shines in his role as an ex-Russian general, although I do feel he should try more 'good guy' roles! Anyways, Vosloo even gives the movie some memorable one lines such as: "Gentlemen, we have a train to catch" and "Oh, I'm popular today", which are simply magnificent. Flanery is OK but gets over-shadowed by Vosloo and eventually become quite boring as a main character. Vosloo can only be described as "bond-like" in his manner, achieving to make this movie an action packed, fast-paced epic in the train heist genre that is all too familiar. If it weren't for Arnold I may not have picked up this masterpiece, but having done so, I am positive that it one of my best DVDs and I have it proudly on display. The missiles, explosions and gunfights are breathtaking throughout the film. There are even some really thought-provoking characters such as the bald cannibal shown on the box who has quite the trigger finger and a taste for blood, as well as a host of Vosloo's henchmen. In the end Arnold delivers an incredible performance and puts the action that "con"vinced me to buy this action flick back into the Vosloo name! Superb!
Sean Patrick Flanery....No more needs saying..
yourleftyray20024 August 2006
Just saw this movie. Not totally into this kind of movie but it was easy enough to follow. I am gigantic fan of Sean's and whenever possible try to see what he has done. There were a couple of cool parts and more than one sleeper part but if you follow closely it all comes together in the end.
Worth viewing if all else that is on is reruns of reruns....... Enjoyed the part where the soldier guy fell out of train and landed under it. He was a true hero when he popped up and began eleminating the bad guys. Too much killing of good guys in it for me but as stated earlier Sean makes it worth watching.
Worth viewing if all else that is on is reruns of reruns....... Enjoyed the part where the soldier guy fell out of train and landed under it. He was a true hero when he popped up and began eleminating the bad guys. Too much killing of good guys in it for me but as stated earlier Sean makes it worth watching.
Over all not too shabby
vampyrecowboy20 August 2005
Yes, this is not a bad action film. Even though it has elements of Die Hard and Speed, Under Siege and numerous other action films; it still doesn't have the same impact.
Maybe it's cause lack of marketing, but I think it is more because of lack of snappy dialog and a good catch phrase.
It could be the box cover or maybe the title, but it just doesn't catch the appeal of say DIE HARD, Speed, Under Siege - there's just not enough ZING in the title.
The overall story isn't bad and a little more tension could have been made with the airplane crash and some areas such as chases.
Had Sean Patrick Flannery been a headline name, this would be theatrical release instead of straight to video.
Seeing all that snow brings the story to a slow pace, but overall it passes time and entertains in it's formulated way.
Maybe it's cause lack of marketing, but I think it is more because of lack of snappy dialog and a good catch phrase.
It could be the box cover or maybe the title, but it just doesn't catch the appeal of say DIE HARD, Speed, Under Siege - there's just not enough ZING in the title.
The overall story isn't bad and a little more tension could have been made with the airplane crash and some areas such as chases.
Had Sean Patrick Flannery been a headline name, this would be theatrical release instead of straight to video.
Seeing all that snow brings the story to a slow pace, but overall it passes time and entertains in it's formulated way.
Not great, not terrible either
aveiceae12 February 2003
This wasn't a terrific movie; I really enjoyed Sean Patrick Flanery (as always) but not much else. There's a nude scene with the female character that is completely unnecessary. The plot & dialogue are pretty unoriginal, however, this movie can become quite amusing if you apply the "Mystery Science Theatre 3000" mantra of making fun of it the whole time ("Mummy" jokes were particuarly helpful). It does manage to keep your interest though.
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