A soldier returns from Vietnam on special assignment, accompanying the body of his friend by train to California for burial. During the trip, he falls in love with a gentle college student. But their relationship is shattered by his flashbacks to combat.
Acting
Hopper's raw, unfiltered breakdown scenes—completely unhinged.
Direction
Jaglom's fly-on-the-wall approach feels illegally intimate.
Production
Real train locations create claustrophobic authenticity.
Director
Henry Jaglom
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot on a real cross-country train with mostly non-actors; Hopper reportedly stayed in character between takes, terrifying fellow passengers.
One of the earliest films to treat Vietnam PTSD with unflinching realism—released while the war was still raw public wound, not yet processed mythology.
US
