Film Review: The Man on The Train
Based on the French film by Patrice Leconte, this delightful tale depicts what can happen when people from opposite sides of the tracks meet and discover that the other person lives a life they had craved so much.
Donald Sutherland and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drummer for the rock band U2) star as two men who cross paths and wind up being unlikely friends. Sutherland is a retired college English professor who is tutoring high school kids, while Mullen is a bank robber who arrives in Sutherland's town to rob the local bank. Mullen's character (simply named The Thief in the credits, but has a name in the film) is suffering from a migrane headache. He enters a drug store seeking a prescription drug, but when the pharmacist refuses to sell it to him without a prescription, Sutherland (credited as The Professor), happens to have just bought a bottle himself, and passes on a few pills to the robber. And here starts the shaky beginning of what becomes a beautiful friendship.
It's obvious that the thief is out of place in this small town, but that's what appeals to the professor, who lives alone, has never married and is surrounded by the classics in literature, art and music. He fantasizes of a more romantic life and wished he had been more cavalier and daring much like his literary heroes. Meanwhile, the thief, who hasn't given his reason for coming to town away, quietly reveals that he is well read and has a love for literature himself. He quotes text with the professor and even helps tutor a student when the man isn't available.
They each learn from each other, but in the end each much face their own predetermined fate in life. The bank robber must rob the bank, and the professor must get his heart surgery. Will they both make it through to see their dreams fulfilled or be stuck in a role that neither feels is as rewarding anymore?
Graham Greene and Carlo Rota play the thief's partners in crime. Both men are highly underrated actors in my book.
Being an English major myself, I'm always drawn to and entertained by these kind of films. I might be biased as a result, but I really liked this movie. Mullen was a bit too quiet for me at times, saying little, making it difficult to read his mind until he either picked up a book or said a word. At times I wondered if he didn't speak for fear we'd hear his Irish accent, which did come out on occasion. Considering this film was taking place in America (or Canada) somewhere, he did sound a bit out of place. Other than that, I thought it was a really good film.
Donald Sutherland and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drummer for the rock band U2) star as two men who cross paths and wind up being unlikely friends. Sutherland is a retired college English professor who is tutoring high school kids, while Mullen is a bank robber who arrives in Sutherland's town to rob the local bank. Mullen's character (simply named The Thief in the credits, but has a name in the film) is suffering from a migrane headache. He enters a drug store seeking a prescription drug, but when the pharmacist refuses to sell it to him without a prescription, Sutherland (credited as The Professor), happens to have just bought a bottle himself, and passes on a few pills to the robber. And here starts the shaky beginning of what becomes a beautiful friendship.
It's obvious that the thief is out of place in this small town, but that's what appeals to the professor, who lives alone, has never married and is surrounded by the classics in literature, art and music. He fantasizes of a more romantic life and wished he had been more cavalier and daring much like his literary heroes. Meanwhile, the thief, who hasn't given his reason for coming to town away, quietly reveals that he is well read and has a love for literature himself. He quotes text with the professor and even helps tutor a student when the man isn't available.
They each learn from each other, but in the end each much face their own predetermined fate in life. The bank robber must rob the bank, and the professor must get his heart surgery. Will they both make it through to see their dreams fulfilled or be stuck in a role that neither feels is as rewarding anymore?
Graham Greene and Carlo Rota play the thief's partners in crime. Both men are highly underrated actors in my book.
Being an English major myself, I'm always drawn to and entertained by these kind of films. I might be biased as a result, but I really liked this movie. Mullen was a bit too quiet for me at times, saying little, making it difficult to read his mind until he either picked up a book or said a word. At times I wondered if he didn't speak for fear we'd hear his Irish accent, which did come out on occasion. Considering this film was taking place in America (or Canada) somewhere, he did sound a bit out of place. Other than that, I thought it was a really good film.
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