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The Man on the Train
A mysterious criminal rolls into a small town planning to knock off the local bank, assuming it will go off without a hitch. But when he encounters a retired poetry professor, his plans take an unlikely turn. With no place to stay, the professor generously welcomes him into his home. As the two men talk, a bond forms between these two polar opposites, and surprising moments of humor and compassion emerge. As they begin to understand each other more, they each examine the choices they've made in their lives, secretly longing to live the type of lifestyle the other man has lived, based on the desire to escape their own.
Release : | 2011 |
Rating : | 5.4 |
Studio : | Remarkable Films, |
Crew : | Director, Writer, |
Cast : | Donald Sutherland Larry Mullen Jr. Paula Boudreau Graham Greene Greg Bryk |
Genre : | Drama Crime |
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Reviews
The Worst Film Ever
Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
This is a two Character Story about regret and missed opportunities and is fleshed out with a bouncy Performance from Sutherland with Rock Star Mullen standing in for the Role of the Professor's Polar Opposite. Mullen doesn't embarrass Himself with the Face of a road weary Soul, drained of energy and Life itself. But He really does nothing more than stand around, or sit around listening to "Words of Wisdom" with barely a reaction. This is not Acting it is showing up.This is a delicate Movie with Literary Quotes and What If? contemplations strolling along to a somewhat Metaphysical Conclusion. It is interesting and is engaging enough for this sort of Stuff about a gentile Egghead and a tough and smart Born Loser.Not the kind of Film for everyone and not the kind of Film that is on anyone's Best List. It is a Diversion, a way to escape from all the typical Hollywood Fare. This one is Laid Back and is couched in a Verbal rather than Visceral Style that is easy to like, but maybe just a little too aloof to Love.
I am writing this in response to some already well written reviews here wherein the ending of the film is questioned. You should watch the film before reading this, and then come back and see if my thoughts don't help you reach some clarity.It should be clear to any viewer that this is a film with strong literary bones. Good writing never provides the reader with quotes from great authors randomly. Those quotes are meant to help us understand what is to follow. Therefore, when the Professor (Donald Sutherland) quotes Henry James that "Americans want tragedies with happy endings," we are given a key to the different endings that follows the climax. The term "tragedy" means the hero must die. We see that happen, in this case two men who are foils, or reflections of one another, die. But then, we see them alive again, going about their lives in reverse. The average viewer, particularly Americans, will not appreciate the purposeful ambiguity. There are other literary clues dropped. For example, the discussion as to how to find the meaning of a poem. If you take the time to watch this film carefully, and note the literary clues as they are dropped, you might come to love this film.
Basically this film centers on just two actors, Donald Sutherland and Larry Mullen Jr.As we all know, Donald is a seasoned veteran but U2 guy Larry is new to cinema, and boy does it show.I guess Donald has about 3,000 pages of dialogue here to Larry's one page. Larry's excuse is that he is playing a guy (we never know his name) who doesn't say much, although he's on screen nearly as much as Donald.Basically the movie is about Larry (known as the thief) who arrives in town straight off a train and makes an accidental acquaintance with a Professor, played by Sutherland. Bizarrely, the professor invites the thief to stay at his home, while the thief secretly plans a robbery at a local bank.It's a very slow film that never picks up speed. Donald acts his socks off, but Larry is so quiet and dull, the film hardly makes an impact.Without Sutherland this film would have bombed. With a different actor playing the thief it might have been better.I give it 5/10 because of Sutherland but the movie really doesn't deserve it.
Donald Sutherland, accomplished actor, co-stars with Larry Mullen, Jr., neophyte actor, to complete a re-make of the French film L'homme Du Train from 2002. Not having seen the original, I cannot compare the two films. I can, however, tell you that this 2011 version is wonderful!Donald Sutherland plays an optimistic, always friendly, if not a little quirky, professor in a small town named Orangeville located in Anywhere, North America. It's a small, trusting town which, with its lack of security, invites a criminal and his thugs to town to rob the bank. The bank robber is played by Larry Mullen, Jr., of U2 fame. He's quietly mysterious and is welcomed as the house guest of the professor. These two men couldn't be any more of polar opposites. Despite their differences, the two seem to admire one another and become friends over the subsequent days prior to the bank robbery and the professor's upcoming surgery. I was continually trying to figure out what the professor knew and why he had befriended this obvious ne'er-do-well. Only in the end, was I able to figure this out. Both Sutherland and Mullen were superb. The story line had me hooked from the beginning and constantly reeled me in until the credits rolled.I loved this movie. The two main characters were realistically portrayed and I rooted for each of them. The story, direction, and acting were wonderful. Sutherland continually giving quality performances and Mullen giving us a successful first! This sweet and charming movie is well worth seeing!