Two prisoners try to escape by taking over a train and holding a female train worker hostage in the process. A series of mishaps results in the brakes burning away, and so begins a sequence of set pieces as the train barrels through a harsh Alaskan landscape, the law chases the prisoners down, and tempers on board unravel. This movie is a tough, brutal thriller. Interestingly, the dynamic between the characters is constantly evolving as their predicament changes.