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5.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Hurricane Express remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old-school cliffhangers and don't mind that the film looks like it was dragged through a gravel pit, you’ll probably have a blast. If you need, you know, a logical plot or high-definition clarity, stay far, far away. This is for people who think Across to Singapore is a bit too polished.
The Hurricane Express is basically just a string of train wrecks held together by guys in hats looking suspicious. It’s a serial, so the pacing is absolutely wild. One minute someone is falling off a bridge, and the next they’re standing around in an office talking about freight rates. 🚂
John Wayne is in this, which is the only reason half of us are even watching. He looks so young it’s almost distracting. He spends a lot of time running around being heroic while everyone else just yells about schedules. There’s a scene where he’s trying to catch a moving train, and honestly, the stunt work is just pure chaos. You can tell they weren't exactly worried about insurance premiums back then.
The mystery of 'The Wrecker' is... well, it’s not really a mystery. You'll figure it out in ten minutes, but the movie keeps pretending it’s a huge secret. It’s like when you’re watching Sharp Shooters and you already know who the bad guy is, but the characters just refuse to catch on.
The whole thing feels like a fever dream you’d have after eating too much cheese before bed. It’s not great cinema, but it’s got this weird, dusty charm. It’s certainly more energetic than the slog of Life. I don’t think anyone involved thought they were making art. They were just trying to get the train on screen without blowing the budget. Sometimes, that’s enough.
