THE MAN ON THE TRAIN
Directed by: Patrice Leconte.
Produced by: Philippe Carcassonne.
Written by: Claude Klotz.
Director of Photography: Jean-Marie Dreujou.
Edited by: Joëlle Hache.
Music by: Pascal Estève.
Released by: Paramount Classics.
Country of Origin: France. 90 min. Rated: R.
With: Jean Rochefort & Johnny Hallyday.
DVD Special Features: Widescreen. English Subtitles.

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
May 12, 2003