End of the Line (1987)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Jay Russell

Writers:

Jay Russell (writer)
John Wohlbruck (writer)

Release Date:

28 August 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In the name of progress ... one magnificent step backward.

Plot:

When the closure of a railway is announced, employees commandeer a locomotive to get to corporate headquarters and confront the president.

Plot Keywords:

Railway | Train | Independent Film | Title Spoken By Character

Cast

Wilford Brimley	...	Will Haney
Levon Helm	...	Leo Pickett
Kevin Bacon	...	Everett
Bob Balaban	...	Warren Gerber, President of Southland
Barbara Barrie	...	Jean Haney
Judy Benson	...	Lucille
Michael Beach	...	Alvin
Carroll Dee Bland	...	Chester
Henderson Forsythe	...	Thomas Clinton, Southland Chairman of the Board
Dan DeMott	...	Travers, Security Guard at Southland Headquarters
Clint Howard	...	Les Sullivan
Trey Fancher	...	Tommy
Holly Hunter	...	Charlotte
Armando Garza	...	Gonzalez
Howard Morris	...	Drunk Hobo

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG | Australia:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Benton, Arkansas, USA

Company:

Guadalupe-Hudson Productions

Goofs:

Plot holes: The idea that a major rail company would suddenly become an air freight company overnight is completely unthinkable. Railroads make most of their money hauling material in bulk, which includes vast amounts of coal. Not only would coal be impossible to ship by air, but so would other heavy bulk materials such as ore, steel, lumber, chemicals, grain, scrap metals, and even heavy machinery. Railroads excel at moving the most heaviest of goods efficiently and have yet to be proved obsolete by any other mode of transport in this field. The only competition air is to rail is that of passengers and time-sensitive mail and packages, but "Southland" is said to be doing only "air freight."

Quotes:

[in the locomotive's cab speeding towards a cop car]
Leo Pickett: Better slow up, they ain't moving.
Will Haney: Oh they'll move.
Leo Pickett: [looking around] There any selt belts in these things?

Soundtrack:

God must have blessed America

Interesting feelgood roadmovie

This film is really a roadmovie. In this case, the road is a cargo train track from the fictional town Clifford, Arkansas, to Chicago, a trip of what would be roughly 1000 kilometers or 650 miles. Roadmovies are often interesting. You get to see a lot from what would be seen from the train. This put together with a feelgood story, slapstick humor and drama, makes it really worthwhile to see. It's hardly ever boring. It's not even a predictable story. I'd recommend it. The model track in the owner's office must make people who like toy trains drool. As the user ratings show, some rate it high, some rate it low. I belong to the first category. As far as I am concerned, it's in the top 5 of train movies.