OFF THE RAILS (Adam Irving). 87 minutes. Opens Friday (October 7). See listings. Rating: NNN
Darius McCollum has spent half his adult life in prison because, he says, his specific expression of Asperger syndrome compels him to be part of the New York City transit system. He’s claimed to be a supervisor, wandered around work sites and stolen buses that he drove across town, picking up passengers and making all requested stops.
McCollum’s lawyer sees him as a harmless enthusiast the MTA sees him as – quite literally – an accident waiting to happen.
Adam Irving’s Off The Rails is totally on McCollum’s side, painting him as an affable victim of compulsion and turning a blind eye to the whole “unqualified, uninsured, uncontrollable” aspect of his actions. That throws the doc off – empathy is one thing, but I got the creeping sense that the movie dances around events and actions in order to frame McCollum in the most sympathetic light.
It makes for compelling viewing, but not necessarily for the reasons Irving thinks.
