Train Ride is a film of intelligence,wit,social message,drama and humor all thrown together in a very coherent way to make for a viewing experience one will not soon forget.
The film is set at a historically Black College but its theme of date rape,misguided values and peer pressure is a universal one.I have seen or heard of many of the same things that director Dowdell portrays in Train Ride.Many black AND white men still laugh about"pulling a train on the bitch"not understanding the fact that this"bitch"is someone's daughter,sister or friend.Yet the film does not beat you over the head with the message.It shows instead of tells the story of a college Freshman played by MC Lyte who gets caught up in a situation that,while having traumatic consequences,seems very innocent to her at first.
The dialogue is very real and uncontrived.Ron,Ellis and Will seem to not even be following a script,but just flowing naturally.Katrina,played by MC Lyte,is a "round the way sister"we all know if we have had any exposure to the hood.The tragedy of the sequence of events lies in the fact that had "the brothers"just acted cool and treated the females with respect,their goals of romance and/or sexual connection most likely could have been realized sooner or later.
The ending was very creative and unexpected.Did NOT expect it to end like it did.Give this young Black director Mr. Dowdell much props for elevating the craft of intelligent African-American film.And hook up a copy of Train Ride on Amazon.This will be a wonderful addition to your DVD library!
The film is set at a historically Black College but its theme of date rape,misguided values and peer pressure is a universal one.I have seen or heard of many of the same things that director Dowdell portrays in Train Ride.Many black AND white men still laugh about"pulling a train on the bitch"not understanding the fact that this"bitch"is someone's daughter,sister or friend.Yet the film does not beat you over the head with the message.It shows instead of tells the story of a college Freshman played by MC Lyte who gets caught up in a situation that,while having traumatic consequences,seems very innocent to her at first.
The dialogue is very real and uncontrived.Ron,Ellis and Will seem to not even be following a script,but just flowing naturally.Katrina,played by MC Lyte,is a "round the way sister"we all know if we have had any exposure to the hood.The tragedy of the sequence of events lies in the fact that had "the brothers"just acted cool and treated the females with respect,their goals of romance and/or sexual connection most likely could have been realized sooner or later.
The ending was very creative and unexpected.Did NOT expect it to end like it did.Give this young Black director Mr. Dowdell much props for elevating the craft of intelligent African-American film.And hook up a copy of Train Ride on Amazon.This will be a wonderful addition to your DVD library!