Veteran actor Malcolm McDowell and up-and-comer James Paxton star in the odd-couple buddy dramedy Last Train to Fortune. Set in the Wild West, a schoolteacher finds himself in an improbable situation as he desperately tries to get to his new job. The Stereo Geeks received an advanced screener of Last Train to Fortune and Ron shares her review here.

Directed by Adam Rifkin, with a screenplay by his mother, Michele Rifkin, Last Train to Fortune sees a schoolteacher from England move to the New World itching to start his new teaching role in Fortune. Unfortunately for Cecil Peachtree (Malcolm McDowell), he misses the last train. 

As he waits for an alternative route, Peachtree gets robbed by “fearsome” outlaw Jedidiah Dooley (James Paxton). In a comedic turn of events, Peachtree decides to use this as an opportunity to hitch a ride to his destination.

Of course, partnering up with an outlaw, that too in the Wild West, also means heading straight for untold dangers. While Peachtree is obsessed with protecting his books and waxes eloquent about the importance of reading and education, all Dooley can think of is the eventual paycheck and surviving this lawless land.

How can this opposing pair survive the perils around them? And more importantly, can they survive each other?

We live in a world where information and books and learning are at hand, and yet, all our time and resources keep being directed away, towards disinformation and hallucinating AI tools. We’re losing critical thinking skills and empathy, and the desire to learn and expand what we know about the world. Last Train to Fortune comedically attempts to steer us back to the light. 

The adventurous hi-jinks are interludes to McDowell’s Peachtree monologuing about the importance—nay, the imperative—of education, of being educated, of just reading. It opens up worlds, as he explains to his ruffian companion Dooley. He’s an oddball character in a setting that’s known for its machismo. And yet, Peachtree holds his own, with a ton of reluctant guidance from Dooley. 

It’s tempting to characterize Last Train to Fortune as a satire. And, given its slapstick (and a couple of times gross-out) humour, one could think of it as a farce. But its central message of finding connection and meaning through books, is why the film is listed as a dramedy. 

From the start, Last Train to Fortune is an amusing ride because of McDowell and Paxton’s dynamic. They riff off each other perfectly and there’s enough chemistry between them to make their odd-couple pairing work. 

Both actors have a ton of physical action and comedy to pull off, and they do so with aplomb. McDowell is a veteran of the screen, and he shows why with how effortless he is at playing an everyman in hot water. 

Paxton carries off the bravado and accent, but his emotional scene needed a little more subtext and a more subtle performance to truly land. 

The pair have the majority of screentime, and while the rest of the supporting cast is competent, they’re really not given enough to do to grab any of our attention. Having said that, the inclusion of Mary Steenburgen (in a cameo, really) isn’t lost on us Back to the Future fans. She is a delight, which is hardly surprising, even though she shares the screen with her ex, McDowell. Talk about keeping it professional. 

Last Train to Fortune is an amusing ride, carried by an easy dynamic between McDowell and Paxton. Aside from a couple of unnecessary gross moments, the film makes unexpected choices, while surprising us, and the characters, with some clever moves. For a comedic journey, the film ends on a surprisingly emotional interaction. Which is a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the story. 

But the beating heart of this film is the importance of books and reading and education. This couldn’t be a more urgent message—we need to inculcate a love of learning and opening our minds if there’s any hope for the world to get better. If only the people who needed to hear this the most would listen. 

Last Train to Fortune released in Los Angeles on September 25, with an expanded theatrical release yet to be announced.