L'Homme du Train (2003's best movie)

[QUENTIN]

I drove an hour to see this the other night at an arthouse theater and plan on seeing it again while it's still in theaters. Claude Klotz's screenplay is one of the most elegant, smart, mature, witty, and insightful scripts in many years, with it he makes his best film since Monsieur Hire. The story is about two men, one a retired schoolteacher keen on poetry, the other a bank robber in town for one last heist, who meet and end up living together through chance and circumstance (the teacher's house is open during the winter, the hotel is not) and though very different, both men begin to bond, laugh, share, and envy the other's life, until the ending that cosmically links them together. The acting from both leads is absolutely astounding, Leconte regular Jean Rochefort and French rocker Johnny Hallyday are both entirely naturalistic and believable, they fully become their characters and we sympathize with both for the things they have in common: loneliness, weariness, and a love for life. Leconte shoots the film in light tones and colors with a beautiful wintered France and old mansion as his settings, it looks glorious. But it is their characters in the end that make us care and feel, and rarely have I cared more about the fate of two men than as this film reached its close. 9/10

Anyone who has seen the film, please share your thoughts and opinions, anyone who hasn't seen the film, please make every effort to do so.

[scottish-movie-freak]

Why do I always get ignored? I started a thread on this movie a few weeks ago (it was in the General forum) and I must of bumped it up 3 times yet still NO-ONE replied! Anyways, I'm glad someone has seen it now...

L'homme Du Train (The Man On The Train) is a fantastic piece of work with two great performances from its leading men (I had never heard of Hallyday before this). It plays out like a Spaghetti Western as the two strangers meet (the use of music during the opening credits is classic) and they bond and generally become 'friends' and they become linked together is a way which took me completely by suprise. One of its flaws (in my opinion) is the whole heist scenario involving the titular man on the train and his criminal buddies. Is it just me or did everyone else have a hard time imagining these old guys in a bank robbery? Yet still, it was the movies only flaw which keeps it from getting the full 10 out of 10 from me but I still loved it and I have to agree with Quentin, truly one of the best movies of 2003.
9/10

[Sparrow]

I bought the DVD in Paris two weekends ago but we're in the process of moving so I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. I'm really looking forward to seeing it though.

[The Delfonics]

I drove out to a local arthouse theater that this was playing in along with 3 other movies. However I saw Owning Mahoney with Phillip Seymour instead because I had heard great things about it. Perhaps another trip to that theater is in line.

[Fergus]

I meant to write this a looong time ago, but I...erm, forgot.

I also drove quite a distance, though not as far as you Quent, I only had to do half an hour. The first thing that interested me about the film was it's poster I had seen back in February, under the subtitle "Coming Soon". I also took note of director Leconte. Months later, I see it, and paint me blown away, but damn, this is the best movie to come out so far this year. I won't spoil it, but I will say it is one interesting scene after another, then the ending....let's just say, I spent the entire drive home figuring it out, but I figured it out nonetheless, and I would love to see it again, knowing what I know now, but I'll have to wait for video.

However...

Today I saw a film that replaced MAN ON THE TRAIN as the best so far for the year--NORTHFORK--a surreal work of art that I hope gets some recognition come the end of the year.

MAN ON THE TRAIN is still an incredible movie though.

[James Logan]

I've seen L'HOMME DU TRAIN over here, and, well...it was ok. It's very watchable, thanks especially to Rochefort and Hallyday who, I agree, deliver very solid performances. The story's good, the dialogue's witty, the spaghetti western aspect has its moments...but still, it didn't blow me away. I dunno. Maybe it's because I like my stuff big and popcorny...I'd say L'HOMME DU TRAIN is a good flick, but definitely too French for me to love it. :)

7/10

[Shakamaker]

Unlike you lads, I drove about 10 minutes to get to this one. :p Not even a case of the flu could stop me!

This film really is an excellent character study. I think the plot has been been outlined well by QUENTIN, however I'd like to re-emphasise the brilliant interplay of the leads, in how they subtly try to fill each other's shoes. (The literal take on that's not lost on those who've seen it, I hope! ;))

Love what you can take away from this film, both aesthetically and through it's poignancy.

[JCR]

Hell I didn't even have 10 minutes travel time. And I got in for free. And I thought it was..well quite good. I liked it a lot up till the end which I just thought was too surreal. My dumb ass just didn't get that bit. 7/10.

[Shakamaker]

Originally posted by JCR
Hell I didn't even have 10 minutes travel time. And I got in for free. And I thought it was..well quite good. I liked it a lot up till the end which I just thought was too surreal. My dumb ass just didn't get that bit. 7/10.

SPOILERS

Don't be so hard on your dumb ass. Whether you didn't get why it was surreal or what was actually happening, the end is open for interpretation, because them living or dying is irrelevant.