Strangers on a Train (1951)

Strangers on a Train

On the rapidly ever growing list of praised directors I reach late, we've reached Hitchcock. I've always been a fan of classic old fashioned murder mysteries, so the film noirs of their prime should speak to me in many ways. Not at least because they have the good old alibis and motives as their focus, rather than all the scientific CSI stuff we're stuck with today.

I'm not a huge fan of Granger, but Ruth Roman have a certain quality as Anne Morton and Robert Walker is brilliant as the charming and psychotic stranger.

We've all met him. The stranger who's just a little too friendly and chatty, but more often than not they turn out quite differently than Walker's character Bruno Antony. Maybe this movie should be blamed for how difficult it's to chat friendly with the guy next to you wherever you go these days, but I imagine it's more about the times we live in than Hitchcock.

I don't love this movie. Its final half hour have a little too many shady choices for my liking, but it's very interesting for quite a while. I certainly notice several interesting choices by the director, and look forward to get to know his work better. Walker sadly died at the age of 32 the same year this movie was released, and that's a great loss. He certainly brought another layer to this picture with his part.