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Strangers on a Train
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Rating:  - One of the Greatest Thrillers of All Time: Hitchcock Presents Highsmith!
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN is a wonderful thriller. I am always amazed at the amount of suspense and tension that Hitchcock is able to create in each of his movies. What passes for "thrillers" these days has none of the heart or excitement of his films and this picture is one of his best. Moreover, if you enjoy Patricia Highsmith's novels (or the films that have been made from them), you will love this film. Highsmith seems to have a flair for giving us extremely creepy, psychopathic murderers. Yet, at the same time, she manages to breathe life into Bruno Anthony (played by Robert Walker). Of course, he is an amoral, calculating murderer (as many of her villains are), yet we come to sympathize with him in strange ways. Regarding the "homoerotic" content of his performance, I agree with other reviewers who say that it is so subtle as to be completely negligible: one could either chalk up his behavior to homoerotic feelings he has for Guy, or you could simply pass it off as the deranged actions of a mad man. In any case, while it may add depth to his character, it is certainly not necessary for delving into this film (or enjoying it).
The plot is rather simple: two strangers meet on a train and one of them casually proposes that they each "swap" murders. Neither of them would have a motive for killing each other's "nuisance" and it would solve both of their problems. The only trouble is, only one of the strangers is a psychopath with any murderous intentions. When Bruno completes his end of the "bargain," he leaves Guy in a tough spot: since Guy is the only one with a motive it appears that Guy himself is guilty of the crime. The rest of the film is a game of cat & mouse between Bruno and Guy and the storytelling is absolutely phenomenal.
As always, Hitchcock is at the top of his game. I found myself just marveling at the angles and the composition in this film. His use of lighting (and, of course, the absence of lighting) is absolutely perfect. Hitchcock could tell an entire story just with his choice of lighting and shadows. There is also the famous "tennis" shot, in which the entire audience is flipping their heads back and forth, keeping up with the game. All of the heads, that is, except for one: Bruno's. His steady gaze is fixed upon Guy's position, burning a hole in his chest. It is absolutely perfect.
As you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of Hitchcock. But even if you are not a huge fan, I think you owe it to yourself to see STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. It is widely regarded as one of his best films and it should have a broad appeal. One word to the wise: make sure you buy a good transfer of this film (such as this set). Many of Hitchcock's films have been horribly transferred onto cheaper DVD's (and it shows).
Rating: - A very entertaining Hitchcock psychological thriller!
This review is for the 2004 Two-Disc Special Edition Warner Brothers DVD.
'Strangers on a Train' is Alfred Hitchcock's first American movie and certainly one of his better ones. The storyline involves a young tennis player named Guy Haines (Farley Granger), who sits with another man named Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) on a several hour train ride. Guy is somewhat of a celebrity and Bruno seems to know a lot about his turbulent personal life. At one point Bruno proposes a scheme where he could murder Guy's estranged wife in exchange for murdering Bruno's tyrannical and wealthy father. The plot appears foolproof since the each murderer in theory would be nearly impossible to track down. Guy is greatly disturbed by this proposal, yet through Bruno's distorted perspective, he seems convinced that the agreement to this devious plot is mutual. Not too long after this meeting, Bruno tracks down Guy's separated wife and murders her and reveals his so called end of the bargain to Guy. This sets up the remainder of the movie where Guy is put in a very precarious position by not only the police who view him as the primary suspect, but from Bruno who expects Guy to perform his end of the deal.
This movie is a lot of fun, mainly because Robert Walker does such an outstanding job as this devious sociopathic killer. His performance as the cool and calculated murderer masked by his wealthy, refined and well-educated appearance is extraordinary. His persistence of involving himself by in effect blackmailing and stalking his pseudo partner is also well done. Another fine performance is by Marion Lorne who plays Bruno's mother. Her naiveté and constant denial of her son's clear psychological problems is a real treasure to watch. There is also some terrific camera work in this movie, clearly due to the creative genius of Alfred Hitchcock. I was slightly unimpressed with the ending, but overall, its a very entertaining movie.
The DVD quality is a pristine full screen B&W transfer. The contrast and sharpness are superb for a movie this old. The DVD comes with plenty of bonuses including a second "preview" version of the film and lots of commentaries and documentaries.
Movie: A-
DVD Quality: A
Rating:  - Homoerotic behavior in the British version?
Enough has been written about this film in these pages that there's no need to add another review...except for one thing. I first saw this movie about twenty years ago on television, and I don't recall any homoerotic behavior between the characters Bruno and Guy. Then again, what I saw was the "Hollywood" version that had been sanitized for the American viewer. Having just watched the British version on DVD, I have a question about the "startling" homoerotic scenes in this film: Where are they?
Either I must be totally blind, or what passed for homoerotic behavior in the fifties is a hell of a lot different that it is today. In every single scene, I kept looking for things that would confirm that Bruno was gay and that he had a thing for Guy.
Yes, Bruno is very friendly to Guy. He tries hard, too hard in fact, to gain his friendship. Then again, he does so because he wants to be trusted and he wants Guy to kill his father. And yes, Bruno's behavior is very eccentric and a bit creepy. But since when does being eccentric and a bit creepy make someone gay?
If Hitchcock had intended to pass Bruno off as a homosexual, why didn't he give us a bit more to work with? Was it his intention to make the subject matter so subtle that it kept viewers guessing? Maybe so, but if you're expecting to see some overtly homoerotic scenes in the British version of this film you're going to be disappointed.
Rating: - Solid Hitchcock Classic
Not a masterpiece but a definite classic worth of Hitchcock's talents. SoaT heralded Hitch's decade of masterpieces. Within ten years, he would make North by Northwest, Vertigo, Rear Window, & Psycho and several excellent though slightly lesser films. Robert Walker is one of Hitch's best villians. Bruno is the perfect evil creepy doppelganger to Farley Granger's fairly normal tennis pro, Guy Haines. Bruno says and does all the things normal people think about but are too sane to express outwardly. The carnival set pieces and the tennis match are signature aspects and the movies is, by turns, cleverly shocking and suspenseful.
Rating: - Another Solid Hitchcock Film!
This is a very enjoyable Alfred Hitchcock film. I wanted to see it after watching Hitchcock's "Rear Window" and Anthony Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley", which, like this film,is based on a Patricia Highsmith Novel (You can see similarities between Bruno and Tom Ripley). The movie is very stylish and, while not all that suspenseful in my opinion, is well worth your time. The shot through the murder victim's glasses, the tennis match, and the finale on the carousel are all memorable.
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