Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

junior850 I'm not a film critic, but I am a lineman. This film was an excellent example of the lifestyle lived by linemen, even in today's times. In regards to the comments made by "planktonrules", there is no explanation as to why Slim wants to be a lineman, it's a matter of heart. You have it or you don't. Henry Fonda managed to convey this quite well. I do admit the character of Slim is a bit too innocent, but seems appropriate for the background. And yes, for the record, rarely does anyone use true names, mostly nicknames given to you by those who have been there before you. This is a brotherhood, which is well expressed in this film. We wish there were more films like this about linemen.

bkoganbing Slim is another of those products from the working man's studio of Warner Brothers and extols the heroism of the various lineman putting up towers and wires to electrify the nation. This was one of the finest achievements of the New Deal, the Rural Electrification Agency and the work you see Pat O'Brien and Henry Fonda do, they are doing in conjunction with that agency. Most of rural America was without any kind of power before then because the cost to private industry wasn't worth the profit they got back.If Pat O'Brien wasn't working with James Cagney, he'd be making this kind of film with Dick Powell or John Payne. None of those quite have the rural demeanor for the title role, so Warner Brothers got Henry Fonda who was then under contract to producer Walter Wanger. Fonda is in the title role of Slim, a country kid who sees the linemen bringing power to the nation and figures he can travel, see places and do things, in a necessary occupation. It's also why a lot of kids from rural areas enlist in the armed services. Pat O'Brien takes a liking to him, takes him under his wing so to speak and even accepts when his girl Margaret Lindsay prefers Fonda to him. For O'Brien he realizes he's far from ready to settle down.I've always felt that O'Brien together with James Cagney were the real founders of the male buddy film. Given the nature of the role, Fonda more than fills Cagney's shoes. Jimmy Cagney would never be believable as a kid off the farm.Look for J. Farrell McDonald to give a nice performance as the foreman of the crew Fonda and O'Brien work for. And Stu Erwin gives a nice performance, imitating Bob 'Bazooka' Burns who was at the height of his popularity as a regular on Bing Crosby's Kraft Music Hall. Erwin gives out with the same homespun rural humor that Burns was so popular for.With the nation mostly electrified and the Rural Electrification Agency now the Rural Maintenance Agency as of 1994, the film is somewhat dated. But it is still a good piece of entertainment and a tribute to the men who literally electrified a country.

MartinHafer This film bears a lot of similarity to another Warner Brothers film made just four years later (MANPOWER). Both are about two friends who work building and repairing power lines and both emphasize what a dangerous job this is. Despite these many similarities (as well as a somewhat similar ending), MANPOWER wasn't exactly a re-make--just awfully reminiscent of SLIM.The movie begins with Henry Fonda begging the foreman of a power crew for a job working on the power lines. Why he's so intent on this job is uncertain, but once hired "Slim" makes good and becomes fast friends with "Red". Oddly, no one in this film seems to have a real name but a nickname--such as Slim, Red, Pop or Stumpy!! But no matter, as the film is reasonably entertaining and worth a look to see what happens to the guys. However, I really beg to differ with one of the reviews that refers to this film as a "masterpiece" as well as "Fonda's finest film". This just isn't true and makes no logical sense--there are probably thousands of better films and Fonda made quite a few superior films that are light years better than SLIM (such as THE OX-BOW INCIDENT, JEZEBEL, DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK, MR. ROBERTS, 12 ANGRY MEN and THE LADY EVE). I can only assume this other reviewer never saw any of these great films.It's still pretty good and the only serious negatives in this agreeable little film is that at times the film is a bit predictable and you wonder what makes Slim tick--he just seems amazingly stupid towards the end of the film--turning down marriage to sweet Margaret Lindsay as well as a cushy job in order to risk his life. But no matter, the film is entertaining and worth a look at a young Henry Fonda.

tdemos It's easy to see why this was one of Henry Fonda's favorite roles. I personally think there is more action and entertainment packed into this one short film than the award winning "Grapes of Wrath", filmed with Fonda just a few years later.Fine acting performances all around take the viewer into the waning years of the Great Depression with an authenticity of characters, time, and place. The cinematography and the period details are simply fantastic.Add to all of this the pure poetry of the dialog exchanges between many of the characters. It's as lyrical as anything written by Shakespeare. The character "Stumpy" for instance begins almost every sentence with either a variation on a song "Mother said to Mabel"... or his own unique way of expressing himself. "You think that old Stump boy would...".Even the often quoted phrase of Slim "That's what's the matter." rings true as heroic in every sense for our protagonist.Also, it is of great interest to see how people were treated in the workplace back in this era. Can you imagine your boss literally kicking you in your rear end when he thought you were slacking off or distracted? This was a time when men were desperate for jobs and there was no OSHA, EEOC, or sympathetic human resources director. After seeing this nostalgic view, one is almost tempted to wonder what it would like to give your contemporary office co-workers a sharp kick in the rear when they slump off during the a project or show up for work late.Accurately depicted in the movie... During the 1930's if you messed up at work because you were drunk the night before, you were simply fired. That's it, pick up your last check and hit the road! If a man was killed or injured in an industrial accident, he was simply replaced with minimal fuss and ceremony. It may sound cruel by today's standards, but it served a purpose back then.So fine is this movie that I must further elaborate on the cinematography and the set decoration. Where else do you get actual 150 foot steel electrical towers under construction filmed with racing steam engine trains in the background highballing along the right-of-way? Under the expert direction of Ray Enright, the viewer actually imagines the feeling of the bone-chilling cold depicted outside the boarding house where the linemen crew is housed. One can almost taste Stumpy's "eating potatoes" on the table. If you are old enough, you remember that there once were women who behaved exactly like the lady who plays the boarding house manager. A masterful performance.The hotwire substation at 88000 volts is the scariest set since Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory. Don't miss it. A must see!