The Navigators

Britain's Ken Loach comes from a filmmaking tradition that Alfred Hitchcock once dubbed "kitchen sink realism." Laced with bleak humor, this gritty and uncompromising drama observes how "the future" rolls right by a once-close-knit group of railway workers like a runaway express train. The year is 1995, when British Rail becomes privatized, and the employees are introduced to such daft concepts as a "mission statement" (at one point early on, their supervisor issues the order that "deaths be kept at an acceptable level"). The writing is on the wall when the workers are ordered to disable equipment so their new competitors can't use it, and with job security threatened, family ties begin to unravel and camaraderie is shattered in short order. Unlike Michael Moore, Loach makes his social points without sermonizing or preaching. The characters do speak in thick accents, however, and unlike Riff-Raff, one of Loach's most accessible films, this one's not subtitled. Still, little is lost in translation: the struggle of these working class heroes is unfortunately a universal condition. Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)[DVD Review—Apr. 23, 2013—Hen's Tooth, 92 min., PG, $19.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD, 1988's The Navigator sports a nice transfer and Dolby Digital stereo sound. DVD extras include trailers. Bottom line: Ward's wonderful film makes a welcome return to DVD with optional English subtitles that help with the heavy Aussie accents.]