When the closure of a railway is announced, employees commandeer a locomotive to get to corporate headquarters and confront the president.When the closure of a railway is announced, employees commandeer a locomotive to get to corporate headquarters and confront the president.When the closure of a railway is announced, employees commandeer a locomotive to get to corporate headquarters and confront the president.
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Did you know
- TriviaThen 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.
- GoofsThe 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?
- SoundtracksCounterfeit
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
Featured review
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.
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- rsoonsa
- Aug 27, 2003
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Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $25,000
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $25,000
- Aug 30, 1987
- Gross worldwide
- $25,000
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