Rating: 
Summary: A subdued masterpiece
Review: "Man on the train", directed by Patrice Leconte is "intimiste" French cinema at its best.
It tells the story of a chance encounter and ensuing friendship between Milan, a gangster who is coming to a small French town to rob a bank and Manesquier, a retired professor of poetry who has lived there his whole life.
The two protagonists could not be more different and yet, each one becomes fascinated by the other's life.
Soon, Milan tries on slippers and Manesquier is shooting a gun at soda cans.
Was Milan's life wasted because he never had the strength to fill his life with the structure he so desires?
Was Manesquier's life wasted because he never had the strength to escape the structured life he so loathes?
Will they go all the way and actually exchange lives?
The movie is extremely well directed and photographed, with grainy blueish colors that support each character's melancholy.
The script is tight and leaves room for silent moments which are as important to the story as the dialogue (a concept unknown in Hollywood). Every word has a deeper meaning than its litteral one. In one of the best scenes of the movie, the elegant poetry professor Manesquier puts on Milan's leather jacket and stands in front of the mirror saying in English: "The name is Earp...Wyatt Earp".
But in the end, what makes the movie such a gem is the talent of the two lead actors who, like their characters, are such extreme opposites that their screen relationship could easily have ended up devoid of any chemestry.
Jean Rochefort is an intellectual and one of France's greatest and most subtle living actors.
Johnny Hallyday is the uneducated, over-the-top rock'n roll singer and social icon who has monopolized the #1 spot in French music charts since 1960 and who has been derided by the French intelligentsia ever since.
Until the movie, Rochefort himself was no fan of Hallyday, though he likes to say with a grin: "Madame Rochefort, on the other hand...". They have since become friends.
It, reportedly, took a lot of effort by Rochefort and Leconte to make Hallyday comfortable enough to act opposite Rochefort whom he saw as a towering icon.
They most certainly succeeded since, in the end, it is the surprising subtelty of Hallyday's performance that makes the movie so poignant.
Despite the botox injections and the face lifs, his Mount Rushmore face looks like that of a man who has been to hell and back a few hundred times. He has such presence and charisma that you can't take your eyes off him whenever he appears on the screen.
Though he plays Milan with a minimalist approach, both in demeanor and delivery, he manages to display the most intense emotions in a simple grin, a gesture or a stare. The way he smokes Manesquier's pipe while explaining Balzac's "Eugenie Grandet" (which he has obviously never read) to a private student of Manesquier will make you chuckle. The way he looks at Manesquier when he leaves his house at the end of the movie will simply break your heart...
"Man on the train" is a gentle, tender film which asks big questions in little ways. Let's pray it never gets remade in Hollywood...
Rating:
Summary: Greener Grass
Review: A bank robber and a retired school teacher meet in a pharmacy.... It sounds like the set-up to a bad joke but is instead the opening to a fascinating and often charming study of two characters facing mortality who pause to consider what life would have been like if they had chosen different paths.These two paths meet at the aforementioned pharmacy and the two characters compare their differences each with a romanticized view of the role of their counterpart. In the short time they have before their mutual appointments with fate, they attempt to walk in each other's shoes (in one case literally) and each discover the secret of the other's world. The title of the film brings to mind the film "Strangers on a Train", perhaps intentionally, but here the two men are proposing to swap lives rather than deaths.
Rating: 
Summary: Understated, Curious Character Study.
Review: A stranger arrives in a sleepy French town with plans to rob its bank. The man is Milan (Johnny Hallyday), an aging and world-weary career criminal. When he discovers that the town's hotel is closed, an elderly gentleman invites Milan to stay in his home. The elderly man is Monsieur Manesquier (Jean Rochefort), a retired literature teacher whose life has always been routine, and now the routine is spent mostly alone in his family's lovely but somewhat dilapidated mansion. As these two men spend time observing each other, each man is drawn by curiosity to the other man's lifestyle. They both begin to see long-dormant aspects of their own characters in the other man. As their growing friendship induces in each man a new way of seeing himself, the two men develop a taciturn but deep bond. "The Man on the Train" is a stereotypical French film in that nothing actually happens overtly. The action is all internal, in the hearts and minds of Milan and M. Manesquier. It is less typical of a French film in that not much is said either. Milan is a laconic character, and M. Manesquier likes to talk but seems to lack anyone to talk to. This is a quiet film that actually seems to distrust language. The story of these two unlikely companions discovering each other in themselves is told through two sensitive, outstanding performances by Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday and through the cinematography of Jean-Marie Dreujou. I could have done with less filtration on some of the outdoor scenes, but Dreujou's cinematography really shines inside M. Manesquier's mansion. The camera work gives the audience the distinct impression of a closed, isolated space in which we are concealed observers of the unusual relationship that is developing between the two men. Fans of character studies will appreciate this little gem of a film. If that's you, "The Man on the Train" is highly recommended. French with English subtitles. There are no bonus features on the DVD, and the subtitles cannot be turned off.
Rating:
Summary: In the Moment of Action We Change Our Lives...
Review: A train stops at dusk in a small French town where a man steps off in order to carry out a mischievous plan. The man who stepped off the train has a terrible headache for which he seeks aspirin in the local pharmacy. In the pharmacy he meets a man, a retried literature teacher, who offers him room and board. The traveler accepts, and together they share a large house for a couple of days. During this time they separately discover that they wish for change in their lives, a change for the other's life. The Man on the Train is a film that grabs the moment in a subtle manner that indicates to the audience that change can only be made through action. This is strongly supported through the brilliant direction of Leconte and a sublime performance by the cast which is captured by outstanding cinematography. In addition, the score, which instills movement through the use of the sound of a moving train, was a wonderful complement to the overall cinematic experience that in the end was brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: An unlikely friendship between two strangers
Review: At first glance the two protagonists in MAN ON THE TRAIN appear to have nothing in common. Monsieur Manesquier (Jean Rochefort) is a solitary retired schoolteacher who desires some type of companionship when he first encounters a rough-looking younger Milan (Johnny Hallyday) buying aspirin in the chemist shop. After starting a conversation outside on the deserted street Manequier ascertains that Milan just arrived by train and is looking for a place to stay. The other details of his stay regarding robbing a bank Milan keeps hidden, but not for long. Manequier invites Milan to stay at his house that is filled with antiques and old books. As time progresses these two men grow a mutual fondness for each other and envy the life that the other has led. They don't hesitate to critique and romanticize each other to the point where they begin to adopt each other's characteristics. Manequier offers to help Milan in the bank robbery while Milan takes over tutoring students in poetry and literature. Their lives become intertwined and linked. MAN ON THE TRAIN is a wonderful film filled with sincere emotions and subtle humor. It is a film that delves deep into an unlikely male friendship without all the macho humor and homophobic tensions that are often the product of Hollywood. There is a reason why I admire and enjoy French cinema, and this film is just one more affirmation. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Cute Flick
Review: I loved the characters in this film. The old retired teacher in a small French town, invites a raggedy drifter who is in town (to rob a bank), to stay in his mansion since the local hotel is closed for the season. As the film progresses, each begin to admire the others' way of life. The old teacher, who is a very loveable person, is in love with American western movies, and tries to start fights, but just can't, since he is so well known and respected. The drifter is the silent type who gets a chance to try on slippers for the very first time while with the teacher.
This film really drew me into the protagonists' lives, and though I'm not really sure if there is a definite moral to it, it kept me thinking of my own life, and the choices that I've made, and why I chose what I did. This is a great film if you're looking for something to inspire you into gaining some hindsight.
The acting is terrific, the script is lovely, this is a must-see for all drama aficionados.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Movie of 2003
Review: I've seen every major release and a great deal of the minor and independent releases as well in 2003. Unfortunately I don't live on the coasts where every movie gets a release, so I can only go by what gets released here. I can say without any doubt, "L'Homme Du Train" was the best thing I saw in a movie theatre in 2003. You would think that a movie about two older men contemplating life for an hour and a half would be a boring snore; but not this one. Patrice Leconte has created electricity between his two leads, Rochefort and Hallyday. By simply putting them on the screen together, there's comedy, there's depth, there's respect, there's an electricity that simply radiates from their screen-presence. When Rochefort finds an old picture of Hallyday and smiles, it's almost as if we are seeing a man finding a picture of his long-lost brother. Surprisingly, the movie is funny. There are plenty of moments to laugh at, the best being when Hallyday speaks plainly for his companion when he tells his girlfriend, "He wants tenderness and sex - not news of your brat." Another hilarious moment is when Rochefort puts on Hallyday's leather jacket and pretends to be Wyatt Earp in the mirror. It reminds you of how far the two leads are from each other, and what an exceptional occurence it is for these two men to simply talk and understand each other. The ending is bold. Very bold; I remember sitting in the theatre asking myself, "Does this movie have the guts to end like this?" and sure enough it did. Too many movies surrender to a formulaic resolution, or take the easy route, but this movie heads off down between the trees forging it's own path. Exactly what happens? Do they swap identities? Do they simply trade places? Is there a greater leap? The answer has got to be there. Update on February 22: Interesting to see that the Oscars have basically ignored this movie altogether. It gets nothing in the Foreign Language film category, and nothing at all in the screenplay categorie. Now, I'm unsure as to the schedule on when movies are released/eligibility for Oscars are, but this movie has gone unrecognized by the Academy, and I think that is a glaring shame. This movie has nothing to do with revolutions, or third-world countries, or obscure historical figures, or higher socio-political implications that seem to get all the attention. Is it really a requisite that a film pander to any of these categories before it can be recognized? Must a film shape itself to a list of "worthy" and "unworthy" subject matter; and if not, why all the attention? It seems to me the Academy is forgetting itself in forgetting this movie. I still maintain this was the best movie of 2003, and have just about lost all my trust in the Academy to pick the true winners.
Rating:
Summary: The Life That Is Not Lived: Leconte's Great Character Study
Review: If you think this film is a thriller, something like a caper film, you had better think about choosing different films. 'Man on the Train' is a good character study about two guys who accidentally meet in an unnamed local town in France. The film unites two unique talents, Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday; it's like the union of Ben Kingsley and John Travolta, and it works.
The story is simple, as is the case with this prolific French film director Patrice Leconte. Milan visits a small town in autum, where he finds the local hotel closed. He finds a kind old man Manesquier, who was a teacher of poetry there. Milan, clad in leather jacket and carrying loaded guns, has something to do in this town, while Manesquier in suit has been living in this uneventful place for a long, long time.
Between them, we see a kind of friendship begins. The two men, so different to each other, is attracted to the other's life, which they could have lived in another time or place. So the laconic Milan teaches the old teacher to shoot guns, who dreams of living a life of gunslinger in Toomstone, while in return the old teacher recites some poems which the visiting guest happens to remember, only partially.
The subtle relations between the two, who will not meet each other again after the coming Saturday, are the film's strength, and though the story is silm, and the pace is slow, the film draws you into the small, but delicately realized world of the two guys, who wish something, and who know that they won't get it.
Jean Rochefort, regular of Leconte films, gives superb acting as an aging teacher, who quietly accepts the reality around him. (And M. Rochefort appeared in this film, after the disease that virtually killed Terry Gillium's film. See 'Lost in LaMancha.') Equally good is Hallyday, who expresses the menace behind the silent pose of Milan, who must have seen nasty things too much.
See this as a good portrayal of two men, who wouldn't meet each other in normal situation -- retired teacher and man from underworld -- but in Leconte that happens in a convincing way. I think 'Girl on the Bridge' is his best, but 'Man on the Train' is nearly as good as that.
You see Maurice Chevit as barber, and it is a slight reference to Leconte's earlier film 'The Hairdresser's Husband' in which Rochefort and Chevit appear.
Rating:
Summary: The Man on the Train
Review: It is very fascinating to see the evolution of Jonny Halliday (remember him in the 60s? Married to Sylvie Vartan, the French / Belgian Elvis...) who now portrays this sensitive, if not wistful con who seems to crave the narrow, cluttered domesticity of la vie petite bourgeoise.
Enjoy the development of the two characters as they take on more and more of the other's personality traits. And then watch as the sparks fly. An exciting movie when all is said and done, and a welcome change from the confusing, if not sensorially overloading, Matrix or the cartoonish X-men.
Take an evening to enjoy this film and follow with a nice quite dinner with a friend and a glass of French wine...JWZ
Rating:
Summary: Blood Brothers
Review: Jean Rochefort (Manesquier) and Johnny Hallyday (Milan) literally drip with screen presence. Both of these men of course have weathered and survived more than 60 years combined in the French movie business. Hallyday, in his youth was a rock star and he had a career as such, comparable to Elvis Presley.
Patrice Laconte, the director of "The Man on the Train" needed only to put these two in front of the camera and they would/do bring to the screen a world weary, slightly menacing, advancing screen idol charisma comparable to say Robert De Niro and Paul Newman.
Manesquier and Milan bond almost immediately when they meet. Since it is November and the hotels in Manesquier's small town are closed for the season, Manesquier invites Milan to stay with him in his home: a chateau that Manesquier had shared with his mother while he was a French Lit teacher.
Not much happens but the blossoming of a friendship between the two opposite in experience men: Manesquier, a teacher, a pianist, an appreciator of French Literature and Milan, a gun toting adventurer more prone to the seedier side of life.
The film is shot in moody blues and reds by Jean- Marie Dreujou and the visuals are first rate. There is even a Bergmanesque transferring of personalities between the two men that works probably because we are brought slowly and truthfully to that point.
Laconte has made a small, quiet film in which two men, absolutely opposite in experience and personality meet on common ground; ground on which they can relate. It is male bonding ratcheted up a notch with love and understanding for these men, their lives and their humanity.
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