Adam Rifkin’s comedy western LAST TRAIN TO FORTUNE comes to Dallas with Rifkin and James Paxton set to appear
Adam Rifkin comes to Dallas with his latest film, Last Train to Fortune. The film will screen at the Angelika Film Center tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday, with both Rifkin and James Paxton both in-person.
Directed by Rifkin (The Last Movie Star), the film also stars Bernadette Peters (The Jerk, Pennies from Heaven), Mary Steenburgen (Elf, Book Club), and Laura Marano (The Royal Treatment).
Written by Michele Rifkin, the comedy western is set against the backdrop of the American frontier, and follows two unlikely companions—uptight schoolteacher Cecil Peachtree (Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange) and fearsome outlaw Jedidiah Dooley (James Paxton, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Twisters)—who embark on a perilous journey to the town of Fortune, where Peachtree has been hired as the new Schoolmaster. What unfolds is an arduous yet heartfelt journey where our travelers encounter harrowing horse chases, bawdy saloon gals, raucous bar-room brawls, and an exciting jailbreak, while forming an uncommon bond along the way.
The story behind the film is one of those long and winding roads that somehow lead to the big screen. The script/film was originally intended for Bill Paxton to star in. Instead, his son, James Paxton, plays outlaw Jedidiah Dooley, the role his father would have played in the Malcolm McDowell–starring Western. McDowell had been trying to get the movie made for decades. In fact, in the early 90s, the legendary Lindsay Anderson (who McDowell had teamed up on for the classic IF…) had planned to take it on, however he died before the film could go into production.
Last Train to Fortune also reteams McDowell with his former wife, Oscar winner Mary Steeburgen. The duo previously starring together in Nicholas Meyer’s Time After Time (1979) and Martin Ritt’s drama Cross Creek (1983).
In addition to the special event screenings and star Q&As in Dallas and elsewhere across the country, the Last Train to Fortune film is also being used as a catalyst to help promote reading and lifelong learning, partnering with literacy organizations, schools, libraries, educational groups, and book clubs, tying in with the film’s celebration of books, reading, and education. In an interview, Paxton described the film as “a love letter to great teachers.”
