Strangers On A Train (1951)

Lonely socialite Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) meets rising amateur tennis star Guy Haines (Farley Granger) on a train out of Washington DC. Through casual conversation Bruno reveals his theory on how two strangers could get away with murder as well as how he's noticed both him and Guy have someone in their lives they could do without.

Strangers On A Train is #32 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Thrills list. And while it was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, it's really the plot that makes the film a classic. It's so classic the concept has been used on every television crime show. In fact, it's pretty easy to be familiar with this movie without ever having seen it.

The film itself though is not all together timeless. Many elements that worked just fine in the 50s come across as corny today, making it harder to come by character buy-in. One such corny element is the blatant attempts to make two female characters, Miriam and Barbara, look dowdier than the romantic lead through the use of incredibly thick glasses. While the glasses also serve another purpose, they practically yell out how you're supposed to feel and think about these two women. In other words, subtlety is lost on this film. Another incident involves an out-of-control carousel, which raises too many credibility questions and almost ruins a tense moment with its ridiculousness.

But even with the film's datedness, there are still enduring Hitchcock facets. One is his patented slow chase. Much like in 1946's Notorious, there's a chase that includes a fair amount of waiting, sitting, and stopping but amazingly retains its urgency throughout. The tension Hitchcock creates there, and really through the last half of the film, is so well done - especially since the characters weren't so sympathetic to begin with.

Possibly the most timeless element of all though is Bruno's creepiness. Although this isn't so much to Hitchcock's credit as it is to Robert Walker's performance and the story itself.

Rating: 3/5

Recommended for: People who enjoy watching slow, shoddy police work