Drew's

Date Reviewed	1/29/2010
Title	Rails & Ties
Rating
Directed By :	Alison Eastwood
Starring :	Marcia Gay Harden, Kevin Bacon, Marin Hinkle, Miles Heizer, Eugene Byrd, Steven M. Porter and Bonnie Root
Review	One of the most underrated actresses Marcia Gay Harden stars as Megan Stark. She suffers from one of the highest stages of cancer so her time is limited. Her husband Tom Stark drives a train for a living, played by Kevin Bacon. He always seems to be working which causes unintentional neglect as their marriage suffers. Ever since she was diagnosed with a fatal disease, Tom has become even more distant. They never had any children. Every time she tries to hold him tighter, he slips through her fingers like sand. He can’t face the music. Megan is ready to perish but has urgent fears that she hasn’t lived. A chance encounter allows them to bond as her inevitable expiration date creeps nearer. Since Tom feels helpless, he chooses not to participate until he is faced with tougher decisions. A situation involving a parked car on the tracks as his train approaches forces him to take a leave of absence as an investigation materializes. Even though he followed company procedures, he could have pressed a button that might have possibly avoided the crash. This button could have also resulted in the entire train falling off its rail resulting in more injuries and possible deaths. It’s the gray area of right and wrong. The victim’s son is left without a family and blames the train operator for his mother’s death. Sometimes “Rails & Ties” appears as a movie of the week with its soft pop song montages and frequent tantrums. First time director and daughter of Clint, Alison Eastwood focuses on our lead actress Marcia Gay Harden which is like relying on your best pitcher. She’s a wonderful “go to” performer. She captures the wounded spirit of a discontented heart with an unsatisfied void. The Oscar winner for “Pollock” in 2000 is still extremely versatile. Often times you’d like to go back before the film’s beginning to discover the seeds of deterioration when a relationship heads south. Megan and Tom don’t feel like much of a couple especially since you don’t witness their previous happier times. “Rails & Ties” is a dark and dreary picture visually similar to “Gone Baby Gone.” One difference being “Ties” has an optimistic conclusion where “Gone” supports one of the better finale twists in the past ten years. Both hover around the challenging subject of the right thing to do, legally, morally and for future’s sake. This 2007 melodrama is not mellow on the drama. It tries very hard to prompt you to keep the tissues nearby while trying too hard. Harden and Bacon can elevate a mediocre project due to their experience and talent. Drew's Reviews, copyright 2010, Drewsmoviereviews.com, property of Drew Bean.