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End of the Line
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End of the Line (1987) More at IMDbPro »

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End of the Line (1987) -- Two railroad workers from Clifford, Ark. become heroes when they hijack a locomotive to protest the closing of the local railroad company.

Overview

User Rating:
5.6/10   274 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Jay Russell (writer)
John Wohlbruck (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for End of the Line on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 August 1987 (USA) more
Genre:
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. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
Party Favors: Dan Aykroyd Is On A Mission From Vodka
 (From . 31 October 2009, 11:06 PM, PDT)

User Reviews:
A PROPER BALANCE OF HUMOUR AND PATHOS. more (5 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
End of the Line (Sweden) [sv]
End of the Line (France) [fr]
Fine della linea (Italy) [it]
Holtvágányon (Hungary) [hu]
I teleftaia efkairia (Greece) (TV title) [el]
Linea interrota (Italy) (video box title) [it]
Mit Volldampf nach Chicago (Germany) (TV title) [de]
Terminus (Italy) [it]
more
Runtime:
103 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

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." more
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?
more
Soundtrack:
One more shot more

FAQ

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11 out of 13 people found the following review useful.
A PROPER BALANCE OF HUMOUR AND PATHOS., 27 August 2003
9/10
Author: rsoonsa (rsoonsa@bandbbooks.com) from Mountain Mesa, California

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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