I have heard about Strangers on a Train over the years and I've even seen a few television shows and movies that tell versions of the story.  I only just saw the movie for the first time.

Amateur tennis player Guy Haines is traveling by train when he meets Bruno Anthony, a man who recognizes him.  Thanks to gossip stories in newspapers, Bruno is fully aware of the marital problems that Guy is having with his wife Miriam and the fact that he is seeing Anne, the daughter of Senator Morton.  Bruno starts talking about his idea for the perfect murder and even uses himself and Guy as an example.  Bruno will kill Miriam and Guy will kill Bruno's father.  When Guy leaves, Bruno believes that he has agreed to the idea of exchanging murders and he doesn't waste time in taking care of his part.  Guy is horrified when Bruno turns up and says he killed Miriam.  Bruno continues to contact Guy about carrying out the second murder while Guy tries to figure a way out of the horrible mess he is in.

Strangers on a Train is based on the book of the same name by Patricia Highsmith.  She also wrote The Talented Mr. Ripley.  I haven't read the book, so I don't know for sure what has been changed for the movie.  People trading murders has been used in many television shows and a few movies.  Throw Momma From the Train is probably the most well known of those.  I have read that there are plans for a remake of the movie.

Guy and Bruno's meeting on the train is shown during the first several minutes of Strangers on a Train.  Bruno has the advantage since he already knows who Guy is and what kind of problems he's having in his marriage.  Bruno does carry on a bit, complimenting Guy and doing everything he can to keep the conversation going.  Guy does seem a bit flattered at first, but he is also uncomfortable with the direction Bruno takes the conversation.  Guy is just anxious to get away from Bruno, so he says something meant to humor him that ultimately causes all kinds of problems since Bruno takes it as an agreement with his wild plan.  Most of the movie is focused on Guy dealing with the horrible situation he ends up in.  The plot isn't that complicated, but it is a very entertaining movie.

Strangers on a Train is one of the most suspenseful movies I've seen.  It is fairly clear from the beginning that Bruno is at least somewhat psychotic.  As the movie progresses, he does act more and more unhinged.  There is no mystery to the murder of Miriam since it is clearly shown that Bruno does it.  The way that scene is shot is very interesting and creative with things seen as a reflection in one of the lenses in a pair of glasses.  Bruno is determined to get Guy to carry out his part of their supposed agreement.  The threat of being implicated hangs over Guy's head throughout the movie, helping to make things more suspenseful.  The tension builds slowly over the course of the movie until the climax.  One thing with that scene is a bit over done, but it ultimately works for the movie.  Several scenes have a good amount of suspense to them and I was kept guessing how a few things would work out.  A tennis match late in the movie ends up being very suspenseful.

Guy and Miriam have a bad marriage and Guy is stopping by to talk to her about a divorce when Strangers on a Train begins.  They haven't been living together and she has been having numerous affairs.  Guy isn't happy when she tells him she changed her mind about the divorce.  She has new plans that involve spending his money and getting out of the small town she lives in.  Guy has started a relationship with Anne at some point, the daughter of Senator Morton.  She and her family are fully aware of the Guy's situation with Miriam.  The Senator fully accepts the relationship even though Guy is still married.  He and Anne are shown kissing a few times and that is all that is shown.  Miriam is shown going out with two men the night she is murdered.  Not much is shown, though at one point, it seems like she is making out with one of them in front of the other.  That is it for the sexual content in the movie.

Guy is a well known tennis player who has ambitions of going into politics.  His marriage is a mess and he wants a divorce so he can marry Anne, the woman he loves.  He does make some questionable choices, but he is a likable character overall.  Farley Granger plays a very different character from the one he played in Hitchcock's Rope.  Miriam is only in a few scenes before her murder, but she is instantly unlikable.  Laura Elliot is fine in the part.

Anne Morton is a cultured, beautiful, young woman who is involved with Guy.  Anne is very understanding about most things.  She is clearly set up as a contrast to the horrible Miriam.  Ruth Roman is fine in the part.  Barbara is Anne's younger sister who is obsessed with mysteries.  Patricia Hitchcock does well with the part.  Senator Morton isn't in as much of the movie as his daughters.  He knows that Guy is still married, but he doesn't seem to have a problem with the relationship with Anne.  The Senator is even supportive of Guy's future plans of going into politics.  Leo G. Carroll does fine with the scenes he has.

Bruno has several ideas about murder and how to get away with it.  His father is wealthy, but he won't just hand money over to Bruno.  Instead, his father wants him to work, something that Bruno is trying to avoid any way possible.  That leads to his talking about murder with Guy and sharing the idea that they trade murders.  Bruno is very focused once he decides to do something.  He is twisted and makes a wonderful villain.  Even though he can't stand his father, he has a closer relationship wtih his mother.  Robert Walker is wonderful in the part.

Main Cast

Leo G. Carroll - Senator Morton
Laura Elliot - Miriam Haines
Farley Granger - Guy Haines
Patricia Hitchcock - Barbara Morton
Ruth Roman - Anne Morton
Robert Walker - Bruno Anthony

Alfred Hitchcock - Director

DVD Information

I picked up the DVD of Strangers on a Train when I found it on sale.  Really the only extra is the British version of the movie which is just a few minutes longer.  The US version is on one side of the disc and the British version is on the other side of it.  I haven't watched the British version yet, so I don't know what the different is.  There are trailers to some other Hitchcock movies and some newsreel footage as well.

Strangers on a Train is a wonderful, suspenseful movie that has held up very well.  People that like good thrillers should check this one out.  This is a must see for fans of Hitchcock.

This review of part of CaptainD's Good Movies EpiGuide 3 Write Off.

Hitchcock Movie Reviews
The Birds ~ Dial M for Murder ~ Family Plot ~ Lifeboat ~ The Lodger ~ The Man Who Knew Too Much ~ North by Northwest ~ Notorious ~ The Paradine Case ~ Psycho ~ Rear Window ~ Rebecca ~ Rope ~ Sabotage ~ Suspicion ~ To Catch a Thief ~ Vertigo ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD