Strangers On A Train

Strangers On A Train (1951)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker

My favorite Hitchcock film. A classic suspense thriller, visually stylish with nail biting tension.

Guy, a 'semi-famous tennis player' and Bruno 'a rich psychopath' are two strangers who meet on a Train. The men drink, talk and open up; Guy is disgruntled because his ex-wife, a vulgar cheating small town girl, refuses to give him a divorce so he can marry the woman he truly loves Anne, the rich socialite daughter of a Senator. Bruno the psychopath wants his controlling father dead and so he suggests to Guy (on the Train) the perfect murder, criss-cross: for each man to commit the other mans murder. Guy laughs it off and exits the train, leaving behind his engraved cigarette lighter. Bruno in his madness assumes Guy has agreed to the plan and takes Guy's lighter.

Bruno strangles and kills Guys ex-wife at a fun-fair at night. Bruno goes to Guy expecting him to kill his father in return. Guy is sickened, recoiling from his involvement with this psychopath and his prior knowledge; he is riddled with paranoia and guilt although innocent - very clever stuff. Guy immediately threatens to go to the police but Bruno knows Guy is a key suspect in the murder of his ex-wife; Guy had the Motive and he has a weak alibi for his whereabouts the night of the murder. Bruno uses Guy's lighter as evidence to blackmail him, threatening to set Guy up for the murder if he doesn't go through with his part of the deal and kill his father.

Guy agrees to go through with it but instead when he arrives at Bruno's mansion, he confesses to the father (sitting in the shadows) all about Bruno's plans to kill him; but the father isn't there its Bruno sitting in the shadows. Enraged by Guys betrayal Bruno contacts Guys fiance (Anne) and tells her of his plan to frame Guy for the murder of his ex-wife. Guy and Anne must make it to the Fun-fair (where the murder was committed) before Bruno can plant the lighter as false evidence.

The two men get into a climactic fight scene at the fun-fair aboard a spinning carousel which crashes, collapses and gets destroyed while rotating at high-speed. This is some of the best action model work ever done. The suspense built in this last scene alone puts this film up there with the best of the best. It has to be seen to be believed. Finally Guy's lighter is found by the Police on Bruno's dead body that is crushed by the collapsing Carousel. Guy is no longer a suspect and is free of suspicion and guilt. It's an uplifting ending with Guy and Anne back on a train, but this time when a stranger asks him 'Are you Guy Haines?' (the same way Bruno introduced himself) Guy ignores the question and exist the compartment with Anne, a wiser man.

This movie is a real treat, it can be watched over and over. The dialogue is superb and the story plays out how you would truly hope, it builds to a fever pitch. Robert Walker's 'Bruno' is one of the most disturbed villains ever to grace the silver screen. Its magical stuff this film. The opening sequence follows the two lead actors shoes as they walk into the train station and onto the train, its says so much about the characters before we even meet them. Hitch was and remains to be the grandmaster. A must rent, must own DVD.