An elegant, amusing odd-couple divertissement from Patrice Leconte that reflects on the paths not chosen in life, Man on the Train could be seen as an existentialist Gallic twist on the Patricia Highsmith-penned/Alfred Hitchcock-directed Strangers on a Train. Manesquier (Jean Rochefort), a perpetually bemused retired teacher in a provincial town, offers recent arrival Milan (Johnny Hallyday) a room in his big, ramshackle house. The latter, a leather-jacketed, gun-toting stranger, is as laconic and emotionally withdrawn as his host is voluble and expressive, and over the course of the few days they spend together it becomes clear that each yearns to be more like the other. Eventually, they do exchange identities, though in a hallucinatory, artsy fashion that's too ostentatiously stylish and enigmatic to work; still, the quirkiness and surrealistic touches are made pleasurable by Leconte's austerely patrician approach, Rochefort's roguish charm, and Hallyday's deadpan gravitas, and the interplay between the two leads carries a rich vein of oddball humor and a touch of poignancy. As with all of Leconte's films, Man on the Train is also a delight to the eye, and it boasts an eclectic score ranging from guitar riffs to Schubert sonatas. The film may be a lightweight trifle, but its slyly serene sensibility keeps it enjoyable throughout. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Man on the Train
Paramount, 90 min., in French w/English subtitles, R, VHS: $72.99, DVD: $29.99, Nov. 25 Volume 18, Issue 6
Man on the Train
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