Across the Rails (MOD) (DVD Movie)

This is an old-type blood-and-thunder gangster meller that's better than its no-name cast would indicate. A ruthless mobster's trigger-happy mood is reflected by many killings and robberies, with payoff gun battle in nightclub reminiscent of gangster shockers before the strict code era....Story starts out like a familiar cops-and-robbery, then disintegrates into a plot wherein police detectives misinterpret circumstantial evidence, and it finally winds up with yarn centering on a cold-blooded gangster who uses his gun whenever anybody gets in his way. Probably the most suspenseful moment is built around said mobster's deliberate gun- blasting of his sweetheart after he overhears her tipping off the coppers. Even skillful cutting does not make this a nice episode particularly since he had pushed her around all through the picture. The cold- blooded slaying of his boss soon afterwards steeps this production in plenty of gore. Anthony Mann has directed, for the most part, with real acumen in developing maximum of suspense. Earlier passages where a truckdriver is unjustly accused by the gendarmes and put through a vivid third degree seems a bit extraneous.... Outstanding in the cast is Hugh Beaumont, as the conscientious detective. He tends to underplay which makes his work all the more effective. John Ireland is sufficiently menacing as the gangster killer, Jane Randolph does excellent work as the gunmoll while Sheila Ryan, comely dark-haired gal, shows promise as the heroine. (Variety, October 8, 1947)

The golden spike of the Trans-Continental Railway was driven in 1869, linking America's coasts and paving the way for massive expansion of the young nation. Years later, the drama was replayed in Canada, and the vast expanses of the Canadian plains and western coast were finally accessible. THE TRANS-CANADIAN RAILWAY tells the remarkable story of one of the most important engineering projects in history. See dramatic footage of the work crews mostly manned by immigrant laborers as they forged their way across the wilderness, conquering the towering Rockies and the vast emptiness of the Plains. Historians reveal how the growth of Canada is inextricably tied to the history of the Canadian Pacific Railway, while contemporary accounts capture the hardships, struggles and eventual triumph of THE TRANS-CANADIAN RAILWAY.

The story follows four people who are leading troubled lives. James is a drug addict who will go to great lengths to find his next fix including dumpster diving. Jim is a retired firefighter who suffers from PTSD and the loss of his parents which results in him turning to drugs. K.C. is a single mother raising a troubled child that will test her faith in God. Along the way they experience drug dealers who will stop at nothing including murder to maintain their power, a pastor with a failing church, and an Italian mob boss who runs his business out of his funeral home. Some will turn their lives around to find God, some will end up in jail, and some will end up dead as they all cross each other's paths.