Suspenseful and intriguing movie with all-star-cast and professionally directed . Stirring and interesting thriller with some clichés and stereotypes , containing enjoyable performances from Pierce Brosnan , Patrick Stewart , Alexandra Paul , Christopher Lee and Ted Levine . PA German Scientist has aided a renegade Soviet general (Christopher Lee) constructing a nuclear weapon which is now in a locomotive (it is actually a Slovenian type 642) that was hijacked in Bremen . As a nuclear bomb is stolen and transported from Germany , throughout Switzerland , Slovenia , Yugoslavia to Iraq . The hijacked train is commandeered by a hired hand , a ruthless mercenary (Ted Levine) and his band of hoodlums . The U.N. troubleshooter delegated (Patrick Stewart) attempts to stop the plot aided by a commando team led by Michael ¨Mike¨ Graham (Pierce Brosnan) and Sabrina Carver (Alexandra Paul) . They will race against time to stop an unmanned , out of control freight train carrying terrorists , atomic bomb and explosives . The mission is impossible , the consequences deadly.
This is and amusing and entertaining action movie though has some sloppy executions . This formula intrigue movie belongs to action genre in style of the 70s , being followed in the subsequent decades . The film profits of an acceptable acting by protagonists and overwhelming action scenes . It blends thrills , chills , shootouts , noisy action-packed , international intrigue , and many other things . It is a crossover in which "The Runaway Train" meets ¨Under siege 2¨ , taking parts here and there . This moving picture which is short in realism instead we have far-fetched but moving blow up , crossfire , fighting , it should please most adventure-action buffs . The main and support cast are frankly good , as Pierce Brosnan and Alexandra Paul , both of whom playing two operatives acting for the Secret United Nations Anti-Crime Organization (UNACO) . Secondary cast is plenty with known faces such as Ted Levine , Clarke Peters and Christopher Lee as an ex general who attempts to reborn the Russian Empire .
Based on an Alistair MacLean's novel , a best-selling author , whose stories have been much better rendered in other occasions . Scottish Alistair employed the pseudonym Ian Stuart several times in order to prove that his books were best-sellers due to their content and not solely because his name appeared on the cover . This is one of the several adaptations based on his novels and most of them set in WW2 , such as the successful ¨Where the eagles dare¨ and ¨Guns of Navarone¨ . Furthermore, ¨Ice Station Cebra¨ that is the first of two movies based on an Alistair MacLean novel set in rugged icy and snowy terrain , the second would be ¨Bear Island¨ . ¨Ice Station Zebra¨ is one of two filmed Alistair MacLean adaptations directed by John Sturges , the other was ¨The Satan Bug¨ made and released about three years earlier . Other novels adapted on cinematic spectacle are ¨Nevada Express¨, ¨Force 10 from Navarone¨ , ¨The Golden Rendezvous¨ and ¨River of Death¨ . This ¨Detonator¨ (1993) was followed by a sequel ¨Detonator 2 : Night Watch¨ (1995) by David Jackson , also based on a story by Alistair MacLean in which Pierce Brosnan and Alexandra Paul return as intrepid operatives , they are teamed by their boss -William Devane- when it is discovered that ¨Rembrandt's Night Watch¨ has been replaced by a forgery ; then our valiant duo to Hong Kong , there they meet a shady computer expert/art collector and a suspicious satellite about to be launched by North Korea .
Luminous and atmospheric cinematography by director of photography Timothy Eaton , though a perfect remastering is necessary ; being filmed on location in Slovenia and Zagreb , Croatia . Fitted to action but inappropriate musical score by Trevor Jones , composed by means of synthesizer . This improbable motion picture was decently produced by Peter Snell , being professionally directed by David Jackson , but with no originality . He's a good TV director who subsequently made another similar film titled ¨Atomic train¨ (1999) with Rob Lowe and Kristin Davis . Although the movie has some aspects a little tough to take , this catastrophe film still has its moments . This large-scale and well produced TV movie attempts a spectacular atmosphere with passable results.
