A while back Richard James and I were discussing Gary Oldman movies. Richard’s favorite Gary Oldman movie is “Track 29”, which came out in 1988. I’d never seen this movie and, since Richard James said he found personal meaning in the movie, I determined to get a copy. This turned out to be a real pain. I couldn’t find a DVD in USA format anywhere and the only VHS tapes I could find were used.

Now, having seen “Sin” and having to admit that even Gary Oldman can make a stinker, I thought there might be a very real reason that new copies of this movie were not available. But, having Richard’s recommendation, I finally bit the bullet and went for the used VHS tape and I am so glad I did. I am shocked that there are no DVDs of this film available in USA format and totally aghast that you can’t even get a new VHS tape. Honestly, this is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. I LOVED it!!!

Ok, let’s be totally honest here, the movie had a couple of problems. But the story was so good – I mean GOOD! And most of the acting was absolutely top-notch.

First of all, you have Gary Oldman doing what Gary Oldman does so well, playing a schizo. He plays dual roles in this film, a Carnie who commits rape on the leading lady, and a strange (psychotic would be a better description) young man, Martin, claiming to be the son that rape produced. He gets a chance to pull out all the stops on this one and he doesn’t hold back. It’s a real treat for Gary Oldman fans.

Next you have Christopher Lloyd and, let me tell you, this is Christopher Lloyd at his finest. Now, don’t be expecting Jim Ignatowski. Lloyd plays Doctor Henry, obsessed with model trains – and more, in this film and he is brilliant. You would probably expect my favorite scene in this movie to be one with Gary Oldman in it but it’s not; it’s a scene where Doctor Henry delivers the Key Note Speech at a model train convention. What can I say except, it’s everything I’ve come to expect from Christopher Lloyd. This movie is a must see for every Christopher Lloyd fan.

And then you have Theresa Russell, one of the “problems” that I mentioned. Theresa Russell plays Linda Henry, a woman who was raped when she was 15 and had a son as a result of that rape. The son was taken from her and placed for adoption against her will. Neither the trauma of the rape nor the trauma of having her son taken from her was ever addressed or resolved and, as a result, her mental state has deteriorated over the years.

Theresa Russell has some powerful and fantastic scenes in this movie. She also has some scenes where she seems to have…..I don’t know….lost her character. It’s odd and it’s irritating. In one scene you are totally caught up in what this character is going through and in the next it’s like you’re watching a rehearsal of some community theatre and the rehearsal is not going well.

In one such scene I wondered if maybe it was the director’s idea because both actors in the scene, Theresa Russell and Colleen Camp, are performing in the same insecure, wooden manner. If that’s the case, then Boooo! to Nicholas Roeg for irritating his audience and destroying the mood of the film.

Other than the scenes where the characters seemed to have taken a lunch break, this movie kept me riveted. There are teasers that lead you, successfully, in one direction - the wrong direction. There are hints to the real direction and then there are flat out signs pointing you in the right direction. But because the characters are so real, because they interrelate so perfectly, even after you see those signs pointing out what is really going on, you still wonder. You still think there might be a possibility that what you think you’ve been told – what you’re sure you’ve been told – was deliberately misleading.

And, of course, it has a true Pussy Willow ending. I couldn’t have written it better myself. Who am I kidding? I couldn’t have written it as well! It’s perfect! Now, if you know Pussy Willow, you know what you are in for.

I don’t remember ever seeing this movie on TV, not even on the late night listings and, as I mentioned, it’s a difficult movie to get your hands on. I finally found a new copy on VHS but the price was astronomical – over $25.00. Still, you might be able to rent it at BlockBuster or NetFlix and, if you can, I highly recommend it. You won’t be sorry you did a little searching.

After seeing the movie I was absolutely mystified as to what personal meaning this film could have for Richard James and my post on BlogFeast explores this further. Be warned, the post on BlogFeast does contain spoilers. So, if you are planning on watching the movie, read that post later.