Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Midnight Flyer Synopsis
Si Henderson is the only mountaineer to get a job with the railroad when it starts coming through the West Virginia mountains. This development incurs the wrath of Jeb Slater, who keeps alive the century-old feud between the Slaters and the Hendersons. He tries to kill Si but shoots Mrs. Henderson instead. Dying, she makes Si and her son, David, promise to let the feud die with her. Years pass; David and Jeb's son, Mel, work together; but David lives in constant fear of Mel, who is a drunken bully. Both love Mary Baxter, but she cares only for David. Jeb is released from prison and wrecks the Midnight Flyer, crippling Si and thus forcing him to retire. David, on his first run as engineer, is tormented by Mel to the point of jumping off the train just before it hits a wagon. Both David and Mel are fired. Two detectives come to arrest Jeb; Mel kills one of them; and in a drunken rampage, Mel imprisons Mary and the superintendent, Kellogg, in a train and heads it on a collision course toward the Midnight Flyer. David, overcoming his fears, boards the train, defeats Mel in a fight, and stops the train.
The Key to Power Synopsis
Bruce Wendell, the son of West Virginia coal mine owner James Wendell, graduates from West Point and prepares to lead a fighting unit to the front during World War I. As his father lies dying, however, he convinces Bruce to remain at home and guard the mine. Bruce's fiancée Ann Blair assumes that he is a coward and breaks off their engagement, but her brother Bobbie remains Bruce's loyal friend. Meyer, a German agent, persuades railroad president Parrish to refuse to transport Wendell's coal, but when Bruce adamantly refuses to close the mine, the spy's men decide to blow it up. While Ann is being abducted by Meyer, Bobbie is buried in an explosion at the mine. Bruce rescues Bobbie and then sends a plea to Lieutenant Parrish to rescue Ann. Meyer and his gang are captured and Ann renews her vow of love to Bruce.
"The Midnight Flyer" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Key to Power" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Midnight FlyerBoth films share