Plot: Passengers on a European train have been exposed to a deadly disease. Nobody will let them off the train. So what happens next?
I feel like not enough people talk about this movie as it has a fantastic cast that includes Richard Harris, Sophia Loren, Burt Lancaster, Martin Sheen, Ava Gardiner and O.J. Simpson. It’s also directed by George P. Cosmatos who helmed Cobra and Tombstone. According to IMDb he stated: “To me, an epidemic seems more destructive than an earthquake, a fire, or even a bomb, and a man-made epidemic, such as is shown in this movie, is the most despicable of all. We are our own worst enemies, because we’re killing ourselves with so-called progress.”
At the time critics dismissed The Cassandra Crossing as a formulaic disaster movie which I think is unfair; it’s suspenseful and I found myself genuinely caring for the characters.
After the last 5 years, watching a movie about a trainload of people exposed to a virus and how the government deals with it feels more relevant than ever. Burt Lancaster plays Colonel Mackenzie, a man who will prevent this disease from getting out by any means necessary including deliberately crashing the train with no survivors.
The film opens with an intense attack on the International Health Organization in Geneva; one of the terrorists is infected with a virus. He escapes and hides on a train filled with passengers and they soon begin to show symptoms of the infection. Our hero Dr. Jonathan Chamberlain (Harris) and his ex-wife Jennifer (Sophia Loren) begin to help the passengers and soon realise that the only way they’ll ever get of the train alive is if they fight back. The acting in general is first class as you’d expect with the cast with Loren and Harris having some nice banter before things go downhill.
Burt Lancaster’s Colonel has an impossible job; does he destroy the train and kill all the people on board in order to save millions or does he let them go and possibly infect the world with a virus? We all know which one he will chose and he isn’t a sympathetic character, but Lancaster plays him perfectly.
The second half is where the action kicks in and we get several shoot-outs and explosions and some impressive stunt work leading up to a spectacular finale.
Jerry Goldsmith provides the awesome score and he rarely disappointed on that front giving us a memorable sweeping theme tune and exciting orchestral moments for the action scenes.
Overall, The Cassandra Crossing may be a little light on action for the first half, but the second half really elevates it with some great set-pieces, an excellent cast and an explosive finale.