Strangers on a Train

*Mild Spoilers!*


How do you get away with murder? In the movies, a murderer always has a fatal flaw; he leaves a piece of evidence behind, some hot shot cop gets him to crack under an intense interrogation, or the rookie who just joined the force figures out the puzzle. Strangers on a Train asks: what if there is no motive? What if a murder is seemingly purely random? It's not like the police have some giant database with all of our fingerprints and a sample of our hair to match evidence with. If you murder a person you've never met in a city where you've never been, could you get away with it? Or maybe, how could you NOT get away with it?

Strangers on a Train has all the makings of any good Hitchcock movie. Murder, infidelity, blackmail, and mystery. Guy Haines (Farley Granger) is an up and coming tennis star. He's dating a senator's beautiful daughter. He has only one problem: his cheating wife. Haines meets Bruno Antony (Robert Walker) on a train on his way to see her about a divorce. After striking up a conversation, the two figure out that they both have people in their lives they could do without. Bruno has idea that he jokingly, at first, brings up to Guy: what if they switched murders? Bruno would kill Guy's wife, and Guy would kill Bruno's overbearing father. By Bruno's logic, the plain is fail safe. Neither killer would have a motive for their victim, and thus, no chance of getting caught. Guy ends up brushing the conversation off as a joke, but a few nights later he gets a surprise visit from Bruno, who has gone through with his part of the deal. Guy refuses to fulfill his obligation, claiming it was only a joke, making Bruno more upset.

Robert Walker is absolutely the best character in this movie. At first he comes off as an innocent and somewhat goofy guy with a weirdly dark sense of humor. But we see his character completely change when he murders Guy's wife, Miriam. This scene is classic Hitchcock. Bruno tails Miriam at a carnival for what seems like forever. Miriam playfully notices him, and goes back to flirting with the two guys she is with. Bruno continues to follow her onto an island. I wasn't sure whether or not Bruno was going to through with it until he wrapped his hands around her neck. A very jovial scene gets dark very quickly. Then, Walker's character is seen for what he really is: a deranged lunatic. While unassuming in stature, Bruno is still scary. I think this is because the killer who is more clever than everyone is way more frightening than any villain that is big and strong. Bruno seems to have everything wrapped up, and has Guy right where he wants him.

Where this movie suffers is the rest of the cast. Every female character in the movie is pretty forgettable. This is strange for a Hitchcock film, as great female characters are littered in his movies. Grace Kelly in Dial M for Murder, Kim Novak in Vertigo, and Janet Leigh in Psycho are just a few. Haines' girlfriend Anne (Ruth Morton) and her sister Barbara (Patricia Hitchcock, Alfred's daughter), aren't really given much to do. Farley Granger is decent as Haines, but he is nothing to get too excited about. The story is gripping and full of suspense, but the performances bring it down a bit.

One very interesting tension builder is a tennis match late in the film. The police are waiting to nab Guy for questioning after the match, while Bruno makes his way back to the scene of the crime to plant evidence. The tennis match goes on for several minutes, all the while each destination gets closer, and the audience is left waiting for the result. It's funny, it is extremely reminiscent of the rowing scene in The Social Network. In both, the sport has nothing to do with what's going on on the surface, but under the surface, each says a lot about what's going on around the characters. It's cool when you see where inspiration comes from.

Strangers on a Train is probably in the middle of the pack in terms of Hitchcock films. I'd put Rebecca, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, Dial M for Murder, and Rear Window ahead of it (granted, there are still many that I have to see). But a middle of the pack Hitchcock movie is still pretty great. Definitely recommended for any Hitchcock fan.

3.5/5