Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Off the Rails

Play trailer Poster for Off the Rails 2016 1h 26m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
The life of Darius McCollum, a man whose obsession with mass transit has landed him in jail 32 times for impersonating drivers, conductors, token booth clerks, and track repairmen.

Where to Watch

Off the Rails

Off the Rails

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Off the Rails sparks interest with its bizarre story, but its impact lingers thanks to its empathetic treatment of its subject -- and clear advocacy for a marginalized sector of society.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor 11/18/2016
A-
If nothing else, Off the Rails, which includes a few too many reenactments for my taste, does what many good documentaries do. It provides us with a window into the psyche of a person worth caring about. Go to Full Review Neil Genzlinger New York Times 11/17/2016
An assured and thoughtful debut. Go to Full Review Dennis Harvey Variety 11/11/2016
Though the film eventually grows as repetitious as its subject's habit, this odd tale has an undeniable bizarro human-interest fascination. Go to Full Review Michael J. Casey Michael J. Cinema 06/16/2021
4/5
A fascinating documentary, thanks to McCollum's personality and presence, but the strength of the doc is how it exposes the flaws in the system. Go to Full Review Steve Erickson Gay City News 08/28/2018
There's triumph amidst the pathos here, and it's frustrating to try and figure out how Darius' life could have been filled with more of those victories. Go to Full Review Andrew Parker The Gate 08/28/2018
4.7/5
Irving tackles the difficult subjects of mental illness, criminal behaviour, trauma, and a revolving door justice system with strength and dexterity. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Tam R 09/04/2023 Interesting and engaging. See more 06/03/2020 Very interesting documentary about a unique and (to me at least) unknown subject - perfect film for when you're in the mood for getting sucked in to something real, quirky, homespun, and deftly complex. Incredibly well made film that moves well, takes you on a journey with Darius with a great ending! Wishing the best for Darius and his family; never has a serial criminal been so likable. See more 01/26/2018 Absolutely beautiful and insightful documentary which unfortunately shows the reality of one of the many unforeseen affects which bullying has on young children which inevitably affects a talented and highly intellectual young human being in this particular case. See more 11/01/2017 Very good documentary with the story, which is to weird to be fiction. See more 10/23/2017 A "tragic hero" in the classic sense - made more poignant because Darius' story is not fiction. See more 10/06/2017 Both illuminating and highly entertaining, this film is everything I look for in a documentary. Darius, whose life is depicted in the doc, has a sweet, intelligent nature about him when speaking that really tugs at the feels. This is the kind of story that makes you want to take action in support of human rights and people like Darius. See more Read all reviews
Off the Rails

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Adam Irving

Director

Shaun R. Clarke

Actor

Romel Harripersaud

Actor

Yun Liu

Actor

Shapour Daneshmand

Actor

Jude Domski

Actor

More Like This

View All
Tread 92% 85% Tread Watchlist TRAILER for Tread Betting on Zero 100% 79% Betting on Zero Watchlist TRAILER for Betting on Zero Say Hey, Willie Mays! 100% 88% Say Hey, Willie Mays! Watchlist TRAILER for Say Hey, Willie Mays! Frank Serpico 75% 47% Frank Serpico Watchlist The Blood Is at the Doorstep 100% 100% The Blood Is at the Doorstep Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

Off the Rails

View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis The life of Darius McCollum, a man whose obsession with mass transit has landed him in jail 32 times for impersonating drivers, conductors, token booth clerks, and track repairmen.
Director
Adam Irving
Producer
Adam Irving, Glen Zipper
Screenwriter
Tchavdar Georgiev, Adam Irving
Distributor
The Film Collaborative
Production Co
Zipper Bros Films
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 4, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 24, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.8K
Runtime
1h 26m
Most Popular at Home Now