With the benefit of hindsight - fatal train crashes, the collapse of Railtrack - Loach's latest political diatribe gains a certain sting, as a group of Yorkshire rail workers discover that privatisation really means unpaid holidays and lapses in safety.
Those familiar with Loach's work, particularly the working men's camaraderie of Riff Raff, won't find anything new here. His interest in plot appears to be diminishing, while his handling of political debate is becoming more simplistic.
But if you get riled by the injustice of a profit-hungry management steamrollering over people's lives, then there's life in this old socialist dog yet.