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MOVIES / ON DVD / MAN ON THE TRAIN
Man on the Train

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Man on the Train (2003)

92%
100%
85%
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92 %
Reviews Counted: 108 Fresh: 99  Rotten:9 Average Rating: 7.5/10
 
Consensus: A lovely, contemplative character study with two wonderful performances at its center.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 90 mins

Synopsis: In a sleepy French backwater, a train pulls into a deserted station, depositing a lone passenger: a grizzled man in a fringed leather jacket. He looks like a criminal, albeit an aging criminal, a man who has never before asked questions of life or made deep connections with anybody, arriving... In a sleepy French backwater, a train pulls into a deserted station, depositing a lone passenger: a grizzled man in a fringed leather jacket. He looks like a criminal, albeit an aging criminal, a man who has never before asked questions of life or made deep connections with anybody, arriving for a final showdown, and he is. But, within minutes, he bumps into a local retired poetry teacher in dapper clothes, a man who looks like someone waiting for something exciting to happen, who appears perfectly settled in his life, and he was.until now. Suddenly, these two disparate men are about to find, at the very end of the line, an unexpected friendship, an opportunity to look back on their dashed hopes, and a magical, momentary chance to explore the road not taken. Patrice Leconte's award-winning Man on the Train is a simple, humor-filled tale that resonates with deeper themes of friendship and fate, of longing and regret and most of all, of the passage of time and the choices we make. It is the story of two men who might never have met but for an accident, who appear to have nothing in common, yet who change each other's view of life at the last possible moment. When the criminal Milan (French rock icon Johnny Hallyday) rolls into town planning to knock off the local bank on Saturday, he assumes it will go off without a hitch. Then he encounters Manesquier (leading French actor Jean Rochefort). A retired poetry teacher whose sedentary lifestyle bores even himself, Manesquier offers Milan a much-needed drink of water in his musty old chateau. The only thing they seem to share is that Manesquier, too, has an important date on Saturday; but his is for open-heart surgery. From the start, the two men are equally wary of the other. Manesquier senses that Milan is up to no good, while Milan is driven crazy by Manesquier's incessant talking. But, when Milan is forced to hole up in Manesquier's mansion until the robbery, the distance between them begins to disappear. Suddenly, Manesquier wonders what it would be like to trade his books and art for Milan's gun and life of adventure. Meanwhile, Milan covets Manesquier's bedroom slippers and cozy life of stability. As their friendship develops, surprising moments of humor and tenderness emerge, as each seemingly defies his personality to explore his yearning for the life of the other. Saturday arrives. Milan and Manesquier have no choice but to part ways and head towards their different destinies. But even their destinies are no longer the same, for their very dreams have become intertwined. [More]

Genre: Foreign Films

Starring: Jean Rochefort, Johnny Hallyday, Jean-Francois Stevenin, Pascal Parmentier, Isabelle Petit-Jacques

Director: Patrice Leconte
Screenwriter: Claude Klotz
Producer: Philippe Carcassonne

DVD Info

Release:

Jan 11, 2005

[DVD Details]

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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N/A

Bleak, blue lighting and washed out colours emphasise the wintriness of the tale; but there isn't nearly enough dramatic conflict to sustain this to feature length.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/15/03
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]
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4/5

Witty and wistful, often tragic and tense, this is an impeccable example of the value of small-scale cinema.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/21/03
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
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Ratings Image
N/A

The contrast between old-fogeyish Manesquier and dangerous 'man with no name' Milan, between loquacious, actorly Rochefort and silent 'natural' Hallyday, is initially droll, although it wears thin after a while.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/01/03
Ginette Vincendeau
Sight and Sound
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Full Review | comment Comment
03/25/03
Guardian [UK]
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N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
03/23/03
FilmFour.com
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N/R

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03/22/03
Neil Norman
This is London
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3/5

This is an actor's picture, with Hallyday's craggy menace chiming perfectly with Rochefort's rueful charm.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/25/03
Neil Smith
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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3.5/5

Leconte directs with style and colour, drawing us in with humour and a spark of suspense.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/24/02
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
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2.5/4

Laconte's direction is calculative all the way, but his telling fails to register very much

Full Review | comment Comment
08/27/06
Jay Antani
Perihelion Journal
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A-

You get the feeling you are watching the adaptation of a classic novel, when in fact the script is an original work of impressive poetry and unpredictable dialogue...

Full Review | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
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8/10

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Full Review | comment Comment
10/07/04
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com
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4.5/5

An exceptionally crafted western dream.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/13/04
Mark Sells
Oregon Herald
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82/100

Thought-provoking, tender and funny, far better than your average ‘one last score’ film.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/25/04
Kurt Dahlke
Apollo Guide
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N/A

Although Leconte leads his characters to a baffling conclusion, he creates a satisfying portrayal of two old would-be cowboys heading for what could be the last roundup

Full Review | comment Comment
04/30/04
Matt Kelemen
Las Vegas CityLife
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A-

It’s a poetic and keenly observed story.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/05/04
Mark Robison
Reno Gazette-Journal
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6/10

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Full Review | comment Comment
01/02/04
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium
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3/5

Lacking the sweep of The Widow of St. Pierre and the audacity of The Girl on the Bridge, here Leconte seems to be working on a character sketch...

Full Review | comment Comment
01/02/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
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3.5/5

It's nice to see a film about the regrets of old age that doesn't resort to Grumpy Old Men-style humor or cheap action sequences.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/06/03
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly
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A-

A collision of cultures--a movie in love with movies, literature, poetry and music, but not to the point of worship or distraction.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/04/03
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
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Related Forums

REEL_REVIEWER
THE MAN ON THE TRAIN is deceptively simple, but masterfully executed!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/10/05


REEL_REVIEWER
THE MAN ON THE TRAIN is deceptively simple, but masterfully executed!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/10/05


REEL_REVIEWER
THE MAN ON THE TRAIN is deceptively simple, but masterfully executed!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/10/05


REEL_REVIEWER
THE MAN ON THE TRAIN is deceptively simple, but masterfully executed!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/10/05


An incredible journey!
by: 22cute 8/29/03
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Pictures

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News

LeConte's Man on the Train Learning to Speak English
posted by April 23, 2008
Miramax is prepping an English remake of Patrice LeConte's Man on the Train, with Thomas Bezucha in talks to direct....

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