Suffering from addiction and depression, Laura Danner (Bonnie Root) drives her car--with her son, Davey (Miles Heizer), inside--onto the railroad tracks, waiting for the train to come and kill them. Davey is able to get out but not save his mother as the train, driven by engineer Tom Stark (Kevin Bacon), crashes into the car. Davey lashes out at Tom, wanting to know why he didn't stop, but Tom is adamant that he did the right thing and followed the rules. While awaiting a hearing on the devastating event, Tom is given some time off, forcing him to deal with his wife Megan's (Marcia Gay Harden) metastasizing cancer. While Megan wants to spend her remaining days living life and traveling, Tom refuses to get out of his cold funk--until Davey, also a train aficionado, appears at the door, wanting answers to his questions and trying to avoid being sent to foster homes. A moving, emotional melodrama, RAILS & TIES features the directing debut of actress Alison Eastwood, Clint's daughter. She's learned well from the old man, especially from such touching films as MILLION DOLLAR BABY, MYSTIC RIVER, and A PERFECT WORLD, which were also all about family. The soundtrack was composed by Alison's brother Kyle, along with Michael Stevens, who have previously collaborated on the Clint movies LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA and FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. Alison Eastwood, who has acted in more than 20 films, gets stellar performances from Bacon and Gay Harden as a childless couple suddenly facing some very tough decisions. Heizer, making his feature-film debut, is outstanding as the troubled Davey, who finds himself alone, desperately trying to connect.
DVD Features:
Full Frame - 1.33
Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Surround 5.1 - English
Director of Photography
Tom Stern: Director/Screenwriter
Review 1:
"[F]eaturing some beautifully etched performances....Bacon gives one of his quietly intense performances that builds in heartbreaking intensity..."
Source: Box Office
p.115 11/01/2007
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