''GravyTrain'' is a 2010 Canadian comedy film directed by

April Mullen April Mullen () is a Canadian actress and filmmaker. Career In 2012, Mullen became the first woman to direct a live action, fully stereoscopic 3D feature film, ''Dead Before Dawn'' (2012)''.'' In 2015, she directed the neo-noir grindhouse fe ...

who also produced the feature with Tim Doiron under the company name G-Train Productions.

Plot

Charles Gravytrain (Tim Doiron) is a policeman in the community of Gypsy Creek, a present-day community whose appearance resembles the 1970s. He and his partner Uma Booma (April Mullen) are attempting to arrest Jimmy Fish Eyes, blamed for the murder of several people including Gravytrain's father. During their quest for justice, Gravytrain and Booma are themselves blamed for the murders and are forced underground until they can escape their

frameup __NOTOC__ In the United States criminal law, a frame-up (frameup) or setup is the act of framing someone, that is, providing false evidence or false testimony in order to falsely prove someone guilty of a crime. While incriminating those who a ...

. During this time, they become actors in a

snuff film A snuff film, or snuff movie, or snuff video, is a type of film that shows, or purports to show, scenes of actual homicide. The concept of snuff films became known to the general public during the 1970s, when an urban legend alleged that a cland ...

produced by Hansel Suppledick (Ryan Tilley).

Cast

Production

The film's 15-day shoot at

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...

used Red One camera technology. Many scenes were filmed at the Olde Country Antiques facility whose interiors were suitable for a 1970s-styled set. The cast includes

Alan Frew Alan Graham Frew (born November 8, 1956) is a Scottish-Canadian singer, songwriter, actor, and author, who is the lead singer of the Canadian rock band Glass Tiger. He has also released three solo albums. Early life Born 8 November 1956 in Coatb ...

of the rock band

Glass Tiger Glass Tiger is a Grammy Award-nominated Canadian rock band from Newmarket, Ontario that formed in 1983. The band has released five studio albums. Its 1986 debut album, '' The Thin Red Line'', went quadruple platinum in Canada and gold in the Uni ...

in his first feature film appearance.

Release

The film is distributed by

Alliance Films Alliance Films (formerly Alliance Entertainment, Alliance Communications, Alliance Atlantis Releasing Ltd, Motion Picture Distribution LP and also known as Alliance Vivafilm in Quebec and also known simply as Alliance) was a Canadian motion pictur ...

. It premiered in Toronto on 23 April 2010 and has a limited release schedule in Montreal and Ottawa the following month.

Reception

Initial reviews were mostly negative. Liz Braun of the ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

'' declared the production "a cute idea, but it should never have been a movie." The ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'''s Bruce DeMara also considered the film a bomb, blasting the production as "wretchedly and resolutely not amusing." ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

s Liam Lacey also panned the film, deeming the work "at best, a distended TV sketch and at worst like something improvised by middle-school kids with cameras." Norman Wilner of ''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'' considered ''GravyTrain'' to be an "empty husk of frantic mugging, pointless 1970s movie references and unearned self-regard." ''

Eye Weekly ''Eye Weekly'' was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the ''Toronto Star'', and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The following ...

'' took a somewhat favourable view, noting among other elements the "unexpectedly gorgeous cinematography."

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gravytrain 2010 films English-language Canadian films Canadian crime comedy films Culture of Niagara Falls, Ontario Films directed by April Mullen Films shot in Ontario 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films