Across the Tracks is a 1991 American independent athletics film drama directed and written by Sandy Tung.
Plot
Across the Tracks is the story of two brothers who have gone very different ways in their past, and who now must learn to deal with each other again. Joe (Brad Pitt) is the older of the two, and is a good student and runner set on winning a track scholarship to Stanford University. Billy (Rick Schroder), on the other hand, is a delinquent involved in drugs and crime, and as the movie begins, has just been released from reform school after serving much time for a failed car theft attempt. While Billy tries to make amends for his past life, it isn't an easy task. Joe still holds a lot of resentment for what Billy has put their widowed mother through, and feels that Billy's return is an unnecessary strain on their family.
Forced to attend another high school on the other side of town, Billy tries to stay out of trouble but his old rivals force him into a fight on his first day, which gets him into trouble with the school authorities. Another friend, Louie (David Anthony Marshall), a highly luring drug dealer who was also involved in the car theft that got Billy sent to reform school, wants him to return to his return life as a criminal. It seems that his mother (Carrie Snodgress) is the only person who still believes that Billy can become a valuable member of society and offers him full support.
Brothers Billy and Joe Maloney
One day Joe mockingly suggests to Billy that he try out for his school track team, figuring that nothing will come of it. Nevertheless, Billy goes out asks the coach at his school for a tryout. Billy hardly looks like a track star in his black high top chucks and greased back long hair, but during the tryout demonstrates surprising speed after running a 2:04 in 800m training ( Joes pr is 1:59 and that is with four years of running) , and the coach immediately puts him on the team. Joe is very much impressed by this, and the two start to bond, especially after Joe goes out and buys him a special pair of track shoes as a gift. But Billy's speed soon makes him a contender for the county record,1:57.25 for the 800m and ironically (since he attends a rival school to Joe's) pits him against Joe in a big meet which will determine whether or not Joe receives that scholarship to Stanford.
Now the pressure is on Joe to prove that he is the best runner in the county, and Joe has trouble handling the competition. The outcome of this dilemma and the determination of Billy's low life friends to get some revenge for Billy's abandoning them for the straight life all come together toward the end of the film, which focuses on how the two brothers attempt to overcome the adversity caused by these outside influences and solidify their relationship with each other. Joe ends up shattering the record with a 1:56.50 and Billy coming in second with 1:56.67.
Main cast
See also
References
External links
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