Track 29 DVD review

Starring: Gary Oldman, Christopher Lloyd, Theresa Russell, Sandra Bernhard
Director: Nicolas Roeg
Rated: R 
Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Release Date: February 21, 2012
Run Time: 90 minutes

            Gary Oldman has one of the most eclectic and bizarre filmographies of any actor, often even unrecognizable in his performance styles. Track 29 is one of the more inexplicable performances, one in which the daring British actor gives a completely committed performance as a deranged stranger who may have elements of truth within his outlandish story. Essentially set up like a play, nearly the entire film takes place in one set piece with just Oldman and Theresa Russell acting with each other.

            This may sound like a rather dull film, and I won’t promise tons of action or excitement, but the strangeness of the story prevents the film from becoming entirely dull. Oldman is a talkative British traveler named Martin, who happens to be dropped off in a small town by a truck driver unaccustomed to the chattiness. In this small town he runs into Linda Henry (Russell) in a small diner, and becomes convinced that she is his long-lost mother.

            The age difference alone makes this scenario seem nearly impossible, though the facts all seem to line up when Martin explains his childhood and Linda admits her teenage pregnancy. They build a strange bond while Linda’s husband (Christopher Lloyd) pursues a passion playing with model trains, as well as some extramarital activities. This is a performance piece for all three actors, as the psychological twists and turns of the screenplay demand.