Trains are cool, but what if you could explode things on it, or inside of it? That’d be even cooler.

From freight trains to monorails, cinema has had a history of producing some of the most phenomenal train action scenes. So much so, it should be called a tradition at this point.

Whether it’s a hand-to-hand combat, chase sequences, or an all-out shootout, action on trains never disappoints.

Below are the movie titles featuring iconic and delicious train action scenes.

9 Iconic Train Action Scenes That Will Keep You on Edge1. Mission: Impossible (1996)

Yes, watching Tom Cruise scale the Burj Khalifa in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was an out-of-this-world experience, but his train fight in the 1996 Mission Impossible will never not be iconic.

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) hangs onto a racing Eurostar as a helicopter tails him relentlessly to hunt him down. Ethan struggles to crawl up to Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), with the wind almost bruising his face, while Franz Krieger (Jean Reno) chases after him in the helicopter.

As you might have suspected, the French Rail Authorities (SNCF) absolutely did not want to permit filming this sequence, and when they did, the track was unavailable. Then, De Palma chose to shoot exterior shots on the Glasgow South Western Line. Though the majority of the sequence was shot with life-size replica trains, on the Soundstage at Pinewood Studios.

2. Skyfall (2012)

“Sleek” and “intense” are the two best words to describe this train fight. The sequence is early on in the film, and begins with James Bond (Daniel Craig) pursuing Patrice (Ola Rapace) on a motorcycle before he jumps onto the roof of a moving train.

The fight ensues on the top of a freight train that’s transporting cars. Spoiler alert: At the end of the sequence, Miss Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) is forced to take a difficult shot that hits Bond instead of Patrice.

I’ll never forget Bond’s “excavator bridge” and Craig on top of it, making his way from one railcar to another.

3. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Only if commuting to work could be this exciting. You’re sipping coffee from your travel mug, flipping through the day’s highlights on your phone, and then BAM! It’s Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) and Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) fighting it out on the top of a New York City subway train.

The background of this fight is that Doctor Octopus had kidnapped Mary Jane to force Peter to find Spider-Man for him. When the arch-nemeses do come face to face, they scale a clock tower to fight and end up falling onto the subway tracks. From there, the battle goes onto the train, and Doctor Octopus tears the brakes apart. Now Spidey has to stop the train.

I particularly like the claustrophobia that filmmaker Sam Raimi creates with the visual of a train running in between tall skyscrapers, almost like a dingy corridor closing in on you.

4. Train to Busan (2016)

The train fights in this film are all about survival, when a sudden zombie outbreak hits a high-speed KTX train bound for Busan, full of passengers.

The film relies on the play of light and shadow within train cars to heighten chaos. The choreography also realigns us with the theme that humans can be more dangerous when push comes to shove. Yon Suk (Kim Eui-sung) is the perfect example for this: time after time, he throws people in front of zombies to save himself, and goes to every extent for survival against infected ones, even if it takes risking the lives of innocent people. But his fate is also sealed later in the movie.

The sequences in Train to Busan are as much about action and stunts as they are about loss and grief, as people lose their loved ones to the outbreak.

5. The Wolverine (2013)

The clawed superhero, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), takes on an entire army in this fight atop a bullet train in Tokyo.

Director James Mangold used CGI and green screens to fill the racing background to create the illusion of high velocity. The action sequences were performed on a practically made rooftop of a bullet train on a soundstage to replicate the motions of a high-speed train.

Hugh Jackman fighting and jumping across the train sections, all while having close calls with speed signs and iron pillars above, will always be iconic. There are scenes for which you tend to rewatch a certain movie — this is it, for Wolverine.

6. Fast Five (2011)

The vast desert, a freight train carrying cars, and a truck following it at full speed — that’s just us beginning to explain the grandeur of this train heist.

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew cut into a moving train to steal three valuable cars, which belong to a drug lord, Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), running the truck parallel to the tracks as they climb inside. Then one by one, they slide the cars out of the train.

For those who know this scene, reportedly, that big jump by that customized truck wasn’t done with CGI. The production team built six of these trucks for the shoot, of which one managed to give them the shot.

Dom literally flies out of the moving train in a car and races it parallel to the tracks, as Brian (Paul Walker) jumps off the train and into the car right before the crash! I expect no less from The Fast and Furious movies.

7. Batman Begins (2005)

Competing very closely with both Spider-Man and Wolverine, Batman’s (Christian Bale) fight with his former mentor Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) on a speeding train is no less memorable.

The fight takes place inside a monorail in Gotham City, where Batman confronts Ra’s al Ghul, trying to stop him from reducing Gotham to dust. Unlike the ones above, this one is more about practical stunts and martial arts combat.

The interiors of the train car are lit by the fluorescent lights that make it look vintage. The combat sequence utilizes elements from the backdrop, such as poles, doors, and seats, to add dynamism to the composition.

The fight isn’t only about good vs bad. It’s also about Bruce Wayne’s transformation into Batman, as he goes against the man who trained him into a superhero, who ultimately turned out to be on the wrong side of the line.

8. Unstoppable (2010)

This one isn’t just about a fight on a train, but about stopping a runaway freight train that’s carrying enough chemicals to take down at least a huge part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, if not the entire city.

The movie revolves around a rescue mission by a rail crew led by Frank (Denzel Washington) and Will (Chris Pine) as they try to stop the train before it crashes. The train is notable for portraying authentic train mechanics and emergency maneuvers with inputs by real railroad professionals.

The scene heavily relies on practical effects and was filmed on location for the most part.

9. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

This movie features one of the most visually stunning robbery scenes. Notorious Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and his gang stop a freight train on its tracks, wearing burlap sacks to cover their faces. Mind you, it’s not a high-energy, blood-pumping heist. The whole scene relies on grounded action — gunfire, small bursts of violence, and silences to draw the psychological tension.

This robbery scene was produced with little to no CGI. The cinematography, done by the great Roger Deakins, is goated here. A small railcar was used to shoot the scene, which pushed Roger Deakins to use his creativity — he employed scattered lighting and darkness to shoot the sequence. It was done to make the timid train look like a massive one emerging from the mist-filled tracks.

Go, rewatch it just for the sake of its cinematography; it’s the cream of the crop.

Summing Up

What do you think of our list of the best train action scenes? How many have you watched? Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below.