Across The Tracks

Director: Sandy Tung (1990)

Cast: Rick Schroder, Brad Pitt, Carrie Snodgrass

If you want to see a 27-year-old Brad Pitt playing a high school athlete, this is the film for you.

One of Brad Pitt's earlier performances in his career he plays Joe Maloney, a hard-working high school student who has a shot at a college scholarship in track and field, his one obstacle is his brother, Billy, played by Rick Schroder, who has been in and out of reform school and jail. The question is can Billy stay out of his way, so he can succeed, or is he going to mess everything up?

The film being actually shot in Compton gives it a very real feel, rather than a cliched setting. The class issue is one that resonates today, as does the story of why a struggling adolescent can so easily fall victim to the criminal justice system, and how hard it can be for the single working mom. Considering the opiod epidemic, the growing struggles of working people, the hardship for so many to attend college.

The film was successful and both actors have had very long careers both in front and behind the camera.