Der Fremde im Zug

Literally a carousel of tension that thrilled me. Both actors are excellent, especially Robert Walker, and the film's momentum and suspenseful scenes from the most competent person make it easy to overlook the occasional slight naivety. The ending is a masterpiece. (27.06.2016)

From my numerous encounters with Hitchcock's work, I got the impression that his fame is somewhat overrated. Many titles cannot be classified as anything other than the average for their time, and some of his famous titles demonstrate such a level of naivety that it cannot be forgiven even considering the date of the film's creation. Strangers on a Train is part of a minority that can withstand strict scrutiny even today. True, the screenplay occasionally stumbles (in the scene taking place in Bruno's father's room, it is more of a logical error), and the development of the plot is sometimes forced, but all of this is well compensated by Hitchcock's inventive and atmospheric direction. His thriller is truly interesting in terms of constructing the individual scenes, the way he ingeniously works with the image and evokes in the viewer exactly the emotions that are desired. He does not introduce his protagonists through a cut to their faces. The camera alternately follows the legs of two men, who are fatefully getting closer to each other. From the style of their walk, the color, and the appearance of their shoes, you can deduce the first information about the characters. The central theme of the drama is duality. Two men cross paths, two personalities clash, and two ways of thinking and value systems collide. One commits murder, the other feels guilt, one commits a crime, and the other benefits from it. If Hitchcock is considered a master of tension, it is truly confirmed here. The tennis match, where the focus constantly shifts between the players with cuts to the stopwatch, and the parallel storyline taking place in an amusement park, or the scene with the lighter in the canal, are examples of well-thought-out master class filmmaking. The twisted sociopath Bruno is also one of the most interesting characters in Hitchcock's list of villains, he has charisma and Robert Walker truly played with his character. With regard to the screenplay, it may not receive the highest grade, but in certain aspects, this old film is quite fascinating. Overall impression: 75%. (13.09.2018)

The film has a great start, but after a while, it becomes a more and more naive game, which also goes quite hard against the basic logic of the thing. Yet the film still has the incredible balls, even after all these years, to thrill by having one of the characters fish a lighter out of a sewer. There’s just no other way. (28.05.2009)