A PROPER BALANCE OF HUMOUR AND PATHOS.
Added 10/23/2006
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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The protest as valid fight' s mechanism!
Added 6/15/2006
A railroad worker decides to steal a train engine to protest the closing of the freight depot where he was working for thirty years.
Looking back in our memory, we should remind the most important contribution in this sense, was given by Jiri Mentzel in "Closed watched trains", in the middle of those troubled years of the Czech resistance, to understand how the railroad men live in absolutely different coordinates of time and space.
Memorable performances make of this first film of Jay Russell a must-see.
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Todays Flim Flam Man.
Added 12/21/1998
This film is akin to The Flim Flam Man, starring George C. Scott. You'll recognize characters from your childhood, that you admired, but prayed you wouldn't duplicate. Nevertheless the heroes in this film, have the qualities in people you know you admire for the values you're not willing to fight for. You just love it when they appear in movies.
3 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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End of the Line
Added 12/25/2007
This a great "feel good" film. This film isn't often remembered, but is one that will bring a smile to your face. Wilford Brimley is terrific.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Left behind by business (ie. the rich get richer).
Added 2/21/2007
I believe Wilford Brimley is a great actor because he seems to just be himself. He plays a brakeman on the "Southland Railroad". The railroad is being reorganized and the small town he lives in will be devastated so some rich folks in Chicago can roll in more "dough". He and another worker take a locomotive to Chicago to try and convince the "powers that be" to think twice about the reorganization. Instead the company clones try to use them in an advertising campaign to make the changes go smoother. Brimley won't have it. You watch the rest. You have the sad and inevitable conflict of young and old, rich and poor played out in the heartland. Great film.
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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A Good Movie
Added 1/10/2007
This was a very good movie if your into train movies. Although if you know your stuff about railroads you'll find that it has a lot of Hollywood in it. It did have a lot of good railroad shots in it.
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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Terrible transfer from film to DVD
Added 4/26/2004
The picture quality is the worst I have seen yet on a DVD. It is worse then a fifth generation VHS. The image is so bad that I don't know why they bothered releasing the DVD.
4 out of 8 people found this helpful.
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It was called the "Sleeper of the Year"
Added 2/16/2004
End of the line opened in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1987 with Wilford Brimley heading an All Star cast: Kevin Bacon, Levon Helm, et. al. I can not believe that this movie was put on film. The Director, Jay Russell, was filming his first feature film. The reason this movie was made in and around Little Rock Arkansas was because of the Director and Mary Steenbergon. Both are from Arkansas. It is a horrible story, with an awesome cast. I do not know the politics of movie making, and I don't want to....this movie stinks.
3 out of 14 people found this helpful.
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