Review of Strangers on a Train (1951) by Anthony M — 01 Feb 2011
After a slight dip in his directing career in the mid to late 1940's, (Rope (1948) aside), Hitchcock finally found the perfect project for him with Patricia Highsmith's 1950 novel, the screen version written by Raymond Chandler, it's one of Hitchcock's most entertaining films, with two compelling, brilliant male leads and a great finale.
This has amateur tennis Guy Haines (Farley Granger) meeting rich but eccentric Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) on a train. They both have problems, Guy is going through a tough divorce from his unfaithful wife Miriam (Kasey Rogers), while Bruno is having problems with his father (Jonathan Hale).
Bruno proposes the idea of "exchanging murders". Guy kills Bruno's father, and Bruno kills the unfaithful Miriam. Guy refuses that idea, but Bruno thinks he'd go ahead with it. Bruno kills Miriam in on an amusement park ride.
Guy is made the chief suspect, despite support from his new girlfriend Anne Morton (Ruth Roman), but Bruno is determined to see Guy keep up his end of the bargain, and then plans to frame him. It's quintessential Hitchcock, with a good cast and a good plot with plenty of suspenseful moments.
The merry-go-round gone wild at the end is one of the best scenes Hitchcock has ever directed, and this was the beginning of his greatest 10 years or so of films.
This review of Strangers on a Train (1951) was written by Anthony M on 01 Feb 2011.
Strangers on a Train has generally received very positive reviews.
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