Strangers On A Train (1951)

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 film is full of tension, twists, and personality. All of which have been found in films countless times 67 years since – so does it hold up?

I found myself immediately surprised watching this film as the first scene quickly introduced the two leads and the central premise within a snappy nine minute sequence (looking back, I’m surprised it was even that long); I’m no expert on Hitchcock or the era in which he worked, but this was not the slower start I expected (I’m not against slower starts generally, but to manage in one sequence what Hitchcock did here without it feeling rushed was very impressive).

A major part of this was the instant charisma of Robert Walker in his portrayal of Bruno Anthony, who encapsulates the perfect antagonist with his mixture of likeability, worrying comments and persistence. The not-so-subtle sociopath could easily be a hard to watch and irritating, but with Walker’s performance and Hitchcock’s direction, Bruno is a really amusing character who is also a genuine threat. On the other side, Farley Grainger brings a vulnerable nature and authenticity to protagonist Guy Haines. Once again, having Haines be famous and successful could lead to him coming off as arrogant and snobbish, but he is instead played as a relatable lead that an audience can root for – even if you’re not a tennis player going through a divorce.

Though this film’s narrative (Bruno suggesting to Guy that they “swap murders” and kill someone for the other to avoid being caught – Guy obviously being against this and Bruno going ahead and doing it anyway) is fairly ridiculous, the escalation of events, as well as aforementioned perfect pacing makes Strangers on a Train both tense and hilarious – more often than not, simultaneously. This film is also a testament to Hitchcock’s trademark suspense, as the director somehow manages to make a tennis match intercut with Bruno trying to reach a cigarette case (which has fallen down a drain) as tense as the actual murder sequence. One-upping himself again, Hitchcock chooses to have the film’s “final showdown” take place on a carousel which has accidentally been set to an extremely high speed.

Overall, Strangers on a Train is a wild ride that, at least to me, has aged like a fine wine (or perhaps cheese would be a better analogy). If you’re only into naturalism and true stories, it might not be for you, but for me the consistently great performances, classic Hitchcock visuals and stylish editing pulled me in and made the film extremely entertaining.