End of the Line (1987)

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

Director:

Jay Russell

Writers:

Jay Russell, John Wohlbruck

Stars:

Kevin Bacon, Bob Balaban, Barbara Barrie

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Bacon	...	Everett
Bob Balaban	...	Warren Gerber
Barbara Barrie	...	Jean Haney
Michael Beach	...	Alvin
Judy Benson	...	Lucille
Carroll Dee Bland	...	Chester
Wilford Brimley	...	Will Haney
Clay Crosby	...	Gas Station Attendant
Dan DeMott	...	Travers
Trey Fancher	...	Tommy
Henderson Forsythe	...	Thomas Clinton
Armando Garza	...	Gonzalez
Robert Ginnaven	...	State Trooper
Lillian Grimes	...	Lucy
Levon Helm	...	Leo Pickett

Storyline

2 worker from a railway company realize that the company want to close the railroad track where they work. They steal an engine and travel thru America to the centre of the company to protest against the closing. While travelling they have a lot of adventurous moments.

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Plot Keywords:

railway | train | independent film | title spoken by character

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fine della linea

Filming Locations:

Benton, Arkansas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Guadalupe-Hudson Productions, Sundance Institute, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Then Arkansas governor Bill Clinton receives a "Thanks" credit, as most of this production was shot on location in his home state. Longtime Clinton family friend and fellow Arkansan Mary Steenburgen co-stars.

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Goofs

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."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Will Haney: You fool.
[dragging him off the railroad tracks]
Will Haney: You pretty near bought the farm, you drunken old son of a bitch.
Hobo: The hell I did.
[laughing and drinking]
Will Haney: You lay around on them railroad tracks and you'll have no legs, by golly.
Hobo: Well, at least I would have matched set.
[laughing boisterously]

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Soundtracks

"Counterfeit"
Written by Jon Tiven, Sally Tiven & Jolyon Christopher Dantzig
Performed by The Sally Tiven Orchestra featuring Alan Merrill
© 1984 Private Domain Music/Dantzig-In-The-Streets Music (BMI)
Produced by Jon Tiven

User Reviews

A PROPER BALANCE OF HUMOUR AND PATHOS.

This delightful piece relates of an unscheduled jaunt aboard a locomotive "borrowed" by veteran trainmen Will Henry (Wilford Brimley) and Leo Pickett (Levon Helm) after their employer, Southland Railroad, shifts its manner of freight transport to the airlanes, resulting in the closure of a railyard in Clifford, Arkansas, with a subsequent loss to many in the small town of their livelihood. Freshman director Jay Russell, invited while attending a similarly fledgling Sundance Institute's workshop to develop his script, does so very effectively, with most of the filming taking place near his hometown of Little Rock, enabling Russell's strongly regional feeling for the South to aid him in composing a very personal, well-executed work. The locomotive is being taken by Will and Leo to Chicago, wherein the pair hope to present their grievances to the parent corporation's board chairman, and Russell formulates a recipe for some delicious humour, some satirical, during the adventure, with blessedly minimal slapstick, focussing not only upon the two railroaders but their waiting families, as well. A well-selected cast is aptly directed, with particularly strong performances from Kevin Bacon, Mary Steenburgen and Holly Hunter, the last two of whom gift the scenario with delicious comedic timing. With talented supporting players helping to make possible a successful blend of whimsy and the didactic, END OF THE LINE belies its rather low budget, assisted to a large extent by cinematographer George Tirl, who here intensifies the standard colour scale while utilizing a wide range of facial lighting to help in representing performers' thoughts.