Daniel Takes a Train

Fueled by grim humor, this political thriller was one of the first Hungarian films to break the governmentally-imposed silence on the 1956 Soviet invasion. Pal Sandor's Daniel Takes a Train starts slow, but like the train of the title, builds up a nice head of steam as it charts the ill-fated journey of its titular hero (Peter Rudolf), an America-bound (via Austria) refugee. Daniel notes that his name means "lucky," but that he is not, which is a bit of an understatement. Although he's something of a simp, and not the most compelling of characters, Daniel's "trials and tribulations" along his journey will carry the audience along for the ride. Libraries with larger world cinema collections will want to get on board; for others, this is an optional purchase. (K. Lee Benson)