Customer Reviews

Avalanche Express [VHS]

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This could have been a good movie if Robert Shaw hadn't died while they were making it. In Leonard Maltin's review he says that most of Robert Shaw's voice had to be re dubbed. As far as i could hear ALL of it was. It was just too hard to enjoy because it obviously wasn't Robert Shaw's Voice. There are some good performances in this film though. And a good plot. But if you're planning to buy it because you're a fan of Robert Shaw,...Prepared to be dissapointed. I'm sure he gave a good performance but the emotions displayed by the actor who dubbed him were lacking. Sad. Could have been a classic movie if it weren't for that.

One of my favorite adventure writers of the 1970s was Colin Forbes, and this was one of my favorite Forbes' novels. The film version has a fine cast but is a highly mediocre affair.
The plot concerns a high-level Soviet defector that a group of American agents must get out of Switzerland before the Soviets can kill him. They decide to try to get him out on a railroad train that the Soviets will do anything to derail including creating an avalanche (hence the title of this film.) The train is portrayed by a highly unconvincing miniature.
The Soviet defector is played by Robert Shaw in his last role. He does not look well and died after shooting was completed. Most of his dialogue appears (poorly) dubbed. The lead agent is portrayed by a bored-looking Lee Marvin. He is assisted by gorgeous Linda Evans, (this film was made right before "Dynasty.") Evans is also Marvin's nominal love interest and she appears way too young for him. Mike Connors is also on hand in a poorly-written role as Marvin's boss (I think.) Connors had just come off 8 years in the highly successful "Mannix" series. You would think he could have returned to films in a better role than this. Maximilian Schell is the main Russian baddie, a rather ridiculous character and Horst Bucholz (one of the original "Magnificent 7") is also wasted as a good guy who comes aboard near the end of this film. And finally theres "Broadway" Joe Namath as another American agent, wandering around is a large cowboy hat.
The many shootouts in this film are totally uninteresting and unexciting. The music is terrible and constantly swells up to punctuate each serious or action scene. As stated before, the miniatures of the train being menaced by the avalanche are also totally unconvincing.
I really liked most of the actors in this film: Marvin, Shaw, Evans, Connors. However this is just a totally mediocre action film. The Director, Mark Robson, did much better the previous decade in another action film regarding a train, the great "Von Ryan's Express" in 1965.

This film has a good plot and real characters. The scenes of Milan and Europe in winter are good. Dysktra's avalanche special effects are not quite Star Wars but very good. If you like trains, travel with Cold War under tones, you like this movie.

In the case of this weak cold war thriller(their label not mine), you find someone who sounds nothing like "star" Robert Shaw and use his bad impersonation of Mr. Shaw and then use long shots to hide the double used to fill in those scenes that he had yet to film. As for the "all-star" cast(Joe Namath, Mick Connors, and Linda Evans) the less said the better. I must have been very sick the first time I saw this to think it was good.

This movie hit the screens on October 19 1979 starring Lee Marvin as Col Harry Wargrave, Robert Shaw as General Marenkov and Linda Evans as Elsa Lang. Senior Russian official General Malenkov wants to defect to the Western part of Russia. So the CIA sends one of there top agents, Harry Wargrave to make sure that the General gets to where he wants to go. Malenkov reveals to the CIA that the Russian underground is trying to develop biological weapons and no one is suppose to know about this. Therefore, with Malenkov knowing all this information the CIA decides it would be better for Malenkov to go by train instead of by air across Europe. However, the CIA is after more information then the General can give them so they put the General a train call the Avalanche Express in order to draw the Russian Secret Agents out in order to fine the leader of the group. During the train ride across Europe the CIA has to deal with terrorist attacks and an *********. This movie was as bad as bad can get. I bought this movie because of Linda Evans and I was so disappointed. The only comment I have is don't waste your money on this film because it just wasn't worth it. I give this movie just 1 weasel star and it doesn't even deserve the 1 star.