Common Sense Note
This is solid nail-biting entertainment for those who enjoy stylish, well-crafted suspense. Don't expect a moral here, but do expect a lot of suspense and some dark subject matter that makes it inappropriate for young viewers who should probably stick to Scooby-Doo. An innocent man is drawn into a lunatic's murder scheme. You view the murder and witness stalking. The tension builds relentlessly all the way to the climax. The British version devotes slightly more screen time to Bruno's Liberace-like flamboyance, giving that fateful meeting with Guy on the train a vague air of flirtation. Parents concerned about homoerotic content need not be; it's presented discreetly, merely as a character trait.
This film is fine for kids older than 9, for whom there is plenty of suspense, but nothing too frightening. For teens and adults, get the microwave popcorn ready; this is great edge-of-the-sofa family entertainment.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Scott G. Mignola
A chance meeting on a train embroils two men in a shrewd murder scheme that quickly goes awry. Co-scripted by Raymond Chandler, this stylish, suspenseful 1951 Hitchcock classic will have the whole family squirming and second-guessing each other about the outcome. Tuck the little ones in bed first, though -- this mystery's a bit darker than Scooby-Doo.
The master of suspense gives us a dead body, but doesn't leave us asking who, where, when or why. We witnessed the crime. We understand the murderer's motive. If this were a straightforward murder mystery, the end credits would be rolling, but because it's an Alfred Hitchcock picture it's just beginning, so buckle up.
From the novel by Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train takes a seemingly innocent conversation between two men and turns it, by degrees, into a grueling worst-case scenario. In the hands of a less competent director the story might not have amounted to much, but Hitchcock builds the suspense relentlessly, almost sickeningly. That's why they call him the master.
This British version devotes slightly more screen time to Bruno's Liberace-like flamboyance, giving that fateful meeting with Guy on the train a vague air of flirtation. Parents concerned about homoerotic content need not be; it's presented discreetly, merely as a character trait.
Does Bruno's mother look naggingly familiar? It's Marion Lorne, who "Bewitched" fans will remember as ditzy Aunt Clara. And that's Hitchcock's daughter Patricia as the enjoyably morbid Barbara Morton.
There's no great moral to be found here ("Crime doesn't pay" is stretching it a little). This is just solid nail-nibbling entertainment for those who enjoy stylish, well-crafted suspense. Those who want a few laughs afterward might consider the black comedy it inspired, Danny DeVito's Throw Momma From The Train. Or try another Hitchcock psycho-thriller, Vertigo.
Rate It!
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ViolenceGraphic murder, and a slug-fest on a high-speed carousel. Stalking. |
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Social BehaviorPemeditated murder, stalking. |
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