Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
THE MAN ON THE TRAIN
The sole arrival at a train depot, Milan (played by leather-jacketed,
stone-faced French pop icon Hallyday), wanders through a town’s deserted
streets and, finding the hotels all closed, accepts an invitation–via a chance
encounter–to stay with the nattily attired Manesquier (Rochefort). Although
they are exact opposites, their differences attract these two unlikely friends.
Milan is an observer rather than a talker, carries only one gym bag, and
bluntly says what is on his mind. Manesquier lives in a mansion stuffed with
books, is loquacious, and shies away from any sort of confrontation.
Manesquier instinctively knows that Milan has come to rob a bank on the
very day that he is to have heart surgery. It is a foregone conclusion that
Milan will carry this out, even as he is saddled with inept accomplices.
Because of that and the men’s almost immediate understanding
that the one wants to be like the other, the film lacks dramatic tension and
becomes a series of vignettes. Still many of Rochefort’s scenes are
endearing, as his emotions are reflected through his eyes. His
disappointment is keenly felt when he discovers that a photo of Milan was
not taken in Nevada, as he imagined, but only at a circus. In contrast,
Hallyday is cool, keeping his cards close to his vest. However, the film’s
unpredictable tone often jarringly shifts from realistic character-driven
drama to fantasy, especially in the underwhelming ending that is more
perplexing and affected than touching.
KT
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