A ‘train ride’ in street slang is a sexual threesome – and the impact of its’ consequences on some college students is devastating with the twentieth anniversary re-issue in time for ‘Black History Month’ of Rel Dowdell’s 2000 film TRAIN RIDE.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of an all-black American college, friends Ellis (Russell Hornsby), Ron (Thomas Braxton Jr.) and Will (Wood Harris) invite Katrina (MC Lyte) and her friends to Will’s dormitory for a seemingly harmless game of ‘Truth or Dare’.

When Katrina decides to stay on against the wishes of her friends, Will decides to dare even further by slipping a very powerful Mexican-in-origin date rape drug into a glass of wine and dares his friends to do the dirty on the seemingly-willing Katrina, all the while taping it on his personal video camera, with a view to putting it in as part of his archive.

However, as the consequences and truth (and dare) of the night begin to manifest themselves in vicious rumours and point-scoring amongst the campus, it is clear that this is one game that is going to break all the rules for those involved…

Although there are some elements of the film that remain firmly in the realm of their creativity twenty years before, TRAIN RIDE remains a truly-potent and disturbing analysis of the undercurrent of sexual malpractice that has come to the fore with recent newspaper headlines. Like THE ACCUSED and BODY SHOTS, it is a film that questions the very essence of human behaviour and to question who is responsible for their actions. Thanks to a solid ensemble cast of black American actors, the film hits the right notes with all it offers.

The sexual scenes are done with restraint, making them all the more disturbing in their execution and the acting does get a little more intense as the film progresses towards its’ tragic climax.

According to online reports, during its initial release the film was ranked as one of the “Best College Movies” on BET.COM, and included in noted film critic/historian Irv Sifkin’s book “Filmadelphia: A Celebration of a City’s Movies”.

On that assessment, TRAIN RIDE is a film that you certainly should check out for re-evaluation if you have seen it on it’s initial release.

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Film and TV Journalist Follow: @Higgins99John Follow: @filmandtvnow