Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011)

Railroad executive Dagny Taggart and steel mogul Henry Rearden form an alliance to fight the increasingly authoritarian government of the United States.

Director:

Paul Johansson

Writers:

Ayn Rand (novel), John Aglialoro (screenplay),

Stars:

Grant Bowler, Taylor Schilling, Michael O'Keefe

Cast

Credited cast:
Grant Bowler	...	Henry Rearden
Taylor Schilling	...	Dagny Taggart
Michael O'Keefe	...	Hugh Akston
Geoff Pierson	...	Midas Mulligan
Edi Gathegi	...	Eddie Willers
Paul Johansson	...	John Galt
Patrick Fischler	...	Paul Larkin
Armin Shimerman	...	Dr. Potter
Christina Pickles	...	Mother Rearden
Rebecca Wisocky	...	Lillian Rearden
Matthew Marsden	...	James Taggart
Navid Negahban	...	Dr. Robert Stadler
Jon Polito	...	Orren Boyle
Michael Lerner	...	Wesley Mouch
Jsu Garcia	...	Francisco D'Anconia

Storyline

It was great to be alive, once, but the world was perishing. Factories were shutting down, transportation was grinding to a halt, granaries were empty--and key people who had once kept it running were disappearing all over the country. As the lights winked out and the cities went cold, nothing was left to anyone but misery. No one knew how to stop it, no one understood why it was happening - except one woman, the operating executive of a once mighty transcontinental railroad, who suspects the answer may rest with a remarkable invention and the man who created it - a man who once said he would stop the motor of the world. Everything now depends on finding him and discovering the answer to the question on the lips of everyone as they whisper it in fear: Who *is* John Galt?

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Plot Keywords:

railroad | motor | business | railroad company | selfishness | 

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Taglines:

Who is John Galt?

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Atlas zbuntowany. Czesc I

Filming Locations:

Piru Mansion - 829 & 837 Park Road, Piru, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,686,347 (USA) (15 April 2011)

Gross:

$4,563,873 (USA) (13 May 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Atlas Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron and Maggie Gyllenhaal were among the actresses considered to play Dagny Taggart, with Brad Pitt being considered to play John Galt.

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Goofs

When Dagny gets in her car after leaving the roadside diner in Brandon, WY, the license plate is a red Colorado plate. When she arrives in Wyatt Junction, CO, the plate is a county 22 Wyoming plate. Same car, different plates.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Ellis Wyatt: This is Ellis Wyatt. I'm gone. Don't try to find me. You won't. I am on strike.

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Connections

Featured in Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream (2012)

User Reviews

Better Than I Expected

I was prepared to cringe at this Atlas Shrugged, universally panned by the critics for its low budget and no-name cast. Instead, I was pretty impressed. The story was faithful to the book, and the message and narrative clear, with the producers wisely sidestepping most of Rand's stilted polemics.

Yes, the budget did confine most shooting to interiors, but there was enough "big sky" material, railroad operations, and steel mill shots to give the film some scope. And the SFX and CG used in the supertrain shots, which probably absorbed half the budget, were worth every penny.

The cast, and especially Taylor Shilling, who played Dagny, and Grant Bowler (Rearden) did a great job.

Overall, I liked AS, and look forward to the sequels. I just hope the producers can raise the financing to make them.