I saw this at the famous Genesee in Waukegan, IL when I was a wee lad and its had a mystical allure ever since. Maybe because as a wee lad, a movie about hobos riding the rails is an off-kilter idea. It kind of stuck with me and I've always wanted to see it again but never got around to it. Then lo and behold it was on AMC or TMC a few weekends ago. No boy was all extra happy was he. However, this time it was a bit of a let down.
The story follows two hobos, A-No 1 (Marvin) and a rookie (Carradine) who are trying to ride a mean conductor's (Borginine) train to Portland. The conductor, named Shack, is renowned among rail riding hobos as the meanest SOB there is and has no qualms about murdering the freeloader if he has to. He uses various weapons to keep the hobos off his train, some of which are quite ingenious, like tying a window weight to a rope and feed it under the car to bounce off the ties and pummel a man who is riding under a box car. Plot wise, there isn't much to the movie. Just the three guys playing cat and mouse on the train and meeting all sorts of hobo folk along the way. What makes this movie worth checking out is seeing Borginine busting a blue vein when he gets ticked off. He turns from an old grump to a ornery old cuss bent on destruction. Gotta love it.
One thing that struck me, and I'm not sure what it is about movies made in the 70s and set in the 30s, but the 1930s catch phrases sound very awkward coming out of the actors mouths. This is also the case if you listen to some of the dialogue in The Sting. Anyway, taken as a whole, this one is mildly entertaining with a few worthwhile scenes but nothing to rave about.
The story follows two hobos, A-No 1 (Marvin) and a rookie (Carradine) who are trying to ride a mean conductor's (Borginine) train to Portland. The conductor, named Shack, is renowned among rail riding hobos as the meanest SOB there is and has no qualms about murdering the freeloader if he has to. He uses various weapons to keep the hobos off his train, some of which are quite ingenious, like tying a window weight to a rope and feed it under the car to bounce off the ties and pummel a man who is riding under a box car. Plot wise, there isn't much to the movie. Just the three guys playing cat and mouse on the train and meeting all sorts of hobo folk along the way. What makes this movie worth checking out is seeing Borginine busting a blue vein when he gets ticked off. He turns from an old grump to a ornery old cuss bent on destruction. Gotta love it.
One thing that struck me, and I'm not sure what it is about movies made in the 70s and set in the 30s, but the 1930s catch phrases sound very awkward coming out of the actors mouths. This is also the case if you listen to some of the dialogue in The Sting. Anyway, taken as a whole, this one is mildly entertaining with a few worthwhile scenes but nothing to rave about.