10 Great Train Movies That Aren’t Snowpiercer

With Parasite taking “Best Picture” at last year’s Oscars ceremony, it was only a matter of time before director Bong Joon-ho’s previous work got a publicity boost. Snowpiercer, one of the director’s most approachable films, was already something of a cult favorite, so it was a no-brainer to adapt it into a television series.

Discover the chills and thrills of Snowpiercer before binging the series, and if it gives you a desire for more locomotive fun, we’ve got you covered! Below we list ten great movies set on trains to add to your watchlist.

10 Shanghai Express (1932)

Set in Peking, China during a civil war, this film stars Clive Brook as a British Captain who’s surprised to find himself traveling on the same train with a former beau (Marlene Dietrich) who has refashioned herself as high class prostitute “Shanghai Lily.” As they parse out their shared past, the two are pulled into the political upheaval by spy Henry Chang (Warner Oland).

Josef Von Sternberg’s drama/thriller is one of his best-loved collaborations with muse, Dietrich, who never looked more stunning than she does here, and gets a perfect foil in a feisty Anna May Wong. Shanghai Express is an old-school Hollywood picture bathed in the lushest chiaroscuro cinematography of the era.

9 The Lady Vanishes (1938)

With their train trip waylaid by an avalanche, the plucky young Iris (Margaret Lockwood) and various other strange characters hole up for the night in a cozy rural hotel. While there, Iris befriends the kindly Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty) who suddenly disappears once the train resumes. Bent on discovering where the old woman has gotten to, Iris teams up with the clever Gilbert (Michael Redgrave) to unravel the mystery.

One of Alfred Hitchcock’s most devilishly entertaining films, this sparkling mystery offers up pure pleasure while also probing the British national spirit in the lead up to World War II.

8 The Train (1964)

On the eve of the Allied Liberation of Paris, the cruel Colonel Franz Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) plots to abscond with all of the art the Germans have looted from France by train. Desperate to save the masterpieces, a curator raises the alarm to the French Resistance, who presses railway inspector Paul Labiche (Burt Lancaster) into assisting them to steal the irreplaceable art back.

With heaps to say about the moral degradations of war alongside thrilling set pieces, John Frankenheimer’s The Train is an action masterpiece with a brain.

7 Horror Express (1972)

When British anthropologist Alexander Saxton (Christopher Lee) boards the Trans-Siberian Express with a mysterious, bipedal specimen frozen in a block of ice, passengers begin to meet their untimely ends. As panic overtakes the train, Saxton and his old friend, Dr. Wells (Peter Cushing) investigate the specimen and try to crack the secret of its dangerous power.

The best Hammer Horror film that Hammer never made, this Spanish production unites Lee and Cushing for what is the second-best adaptation of John W. Campbell’s “Who Goes There?,” after John Carpenter’s The Thing, of course!

6 Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Legendary detective Hercule Poirot (played by Albert Finney) is just settling in for a pleasant journey home on the Orient Express when a widely disliked billionaire winds up dead.  With everyone aboard the famous train possessing a clear motive for murder, Poirot has his work cut out for him. The film also features Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, and Sean Connery, among others.

One of the best-loved Agatha Christie adaptations and the definition of a star-studded affair, Murder on the Orient Express remains unmatched.

5 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

“Mr. Blue” (Robert Shaw) and his criminal cabal take control of a New York City subway car. Their plan is to execute one innocent passenger every minute past the hour unless they receive a hefty ransom from the city. Veteran cop Zachary Garber (Walter Matthau) is hell-bent on stopping Mr. Blue and his cronies but has his work cut out for him juggling the city’s officials, his fellow policemen, and delivering the ransom before the clock runs down and blameless people start dropping like flies.

Shaw and Matthew are perfectly matched in this fleet, thrilling crime caper that’s deservedly regarded as a classic.

4 Runaway Train (1985)

Two escaped convicts (Eric Roberts and Jon Voight) stow away on a train speeding through Alaska. When the conductor dies of a heart attack, the train speeds out of control, with only the two escapees able to stop it.

Based on a script by Japanese master Akira Kurosawa, this is one of the few bonafide great films the infamous Cannon Group produced during its ’80s heyday.

3 Transsiberian (2008)

Missionaries Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) befriend a couple (Eduardo Noriega and Kate Mara) on a train ride from Beijing to Moscow. When Roy fails to return from a stop, Jessie insists that she should wait for him to catch up at the next station. But when Carlos and Abby choose to accompany her, the trip takes a dangerous turn.

Brad Anderson’s throwback picture is pitch black, absorbing, and easily matches the locomotive thrillers of the past that it’s inspired by.

2 Unstoppable (2010)

With an unmanned train stocked with toxic chemicals zooming out of control, it’s up to a veteran engineer (Denzel Washington) and a youthful conductor (Chris Pine) to prevent potential environmental devastation.

A late-career marvel from Tony Scott (Top Gun), Unstoppable is relentlessly paced and delivers everything you could ask of your popcorn entertainment.

1 Train to Busan (2016)

A businessman (Gong Yoo) has a tense relationship with his young daughter, but that’s nothing compared to a zombie outbreak. Trapped on a speeding train as the reanimated undead bear down on them, the two will have to band together with their fellow passengers to survive.

A surprise worldwide hit, Train to Busan proved that there were will always be scares to be found in the now-tired zombie genre.

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