Rating: 
Summary: Long Live the King
Review: 'Mystery Train' is a strange little film that definitely has a certain amount of charm. Three very different groups of people (a Japanese couple, an Italian woman, and a British man) all converge on Memphis for very different reasons. All three stories interconnect and it's interesting to see how they all work together. The entire film is a look at how Memphis and Elvis are such strong and pervasive institutions, they almost become characters themselves. The film could have taken place anywhere, but Memphis is a special place, even if most of the film is set in a run-down part of town. The energy is still there. The performances are very good, if restrained and subdued a bit. If you are looking for something a little different, this could be your movie.
Rating:
Summary: This plum is from Japan
Review:
This simple movie is great! It really brings you in and tells a great story of three parties crossing paths in downtrodden Memphis.
The story of the Japanese couple was an excellent way to show America through the eyes of a foreigner. I almost felt like a stranger in my own country. The scenes with the local lowlifes were the movie's weaker points, but they were still good. "Son, I'm the man who's gonna make you use that gun."
Definitely worth purchasing for repeat viewings if you're a film afficianado. If you are into more mainstream films, rent it first.
-- JJ Timmins
Rating:
Summary: This plum is from Japan
Review:
This simple movie is great! It really brings you in and tells a great story of three parties crossing paths in downtrodden Memphis.
The story of the Japanese couple was an excellent way to show America through the eyes of a foreigner. I almost felt like a stranger in my own country. The scenes with the local lowlifes were the movie's weaker points, but they were still good. "Son, I'm the man who's gonna make you use that gun."
Definitely worth purchasing for repeat viewings if you're a film afficianado. If you are into more mainstream films, rent it first.
-- JJ Timmins
Rating: 
Summary: A GREAT FILM RUINED
Review: HELLO?????
Whoever mastered this great film RUINED it by FORGETTING or REFUSING to provide English subtitles for the Japanese and Italian characters. How can such a thing happen? If you find the VHS buy it. Maybe some day someone will make the corrections. Until then, AVOID this DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful journey
Review: I first saw this movie in San Francisco and loved it immediately. Having lived in Memphis, this movie helped me feel, smell, and taste Memphis as I remembered it. The review by Sean Axmaker for Amazon.com describes the movie well. I can add that, if you have lived in Memphis, you will love this movie, as it brings a very diverse and unexpected group of people (Japanese, Italian, and an English Elvis want-to-be) to such a unique city that really must be experienced first hand. For those unfamiliar with Memphis, it may take several viewings to develop a strong appreciation, but I think it is well worth the effort. This movie is an artistic masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: no subtitles
Review: I have seen this movie at a theater and on VHS. Those versions have English subtitles for the Japanese and Italian segments. Unbelievably, the DVD does not! The version I bought lacks them, and Amazon indicates to me that the DVD is not listed as having subtitles. Thus, beware, unless you're fluent in Japanese and Italian (and who is?), buy the VHS version. It is a great movie, but what are the producers of the DVD version thinking?
Rating:
Summary: No subtitles
Review: I live in Memphis and love this movie but I would not have bought it if I had known there are no English subtitles on the DVD version. This makes the entire first "act" with the young Japanese couple incomprehensible. I'm suprised more people haven't written about this bizarre oversight in their reviews, making me think they've only seen the movie on movie channels or in the theater.
Rating:
Summary: great movie/lousy MGM disc !
Review: i love this movie. it definitely makes my top ten list. but whats up with the lack of special features? the only extra is a crummy "collectable" behind-the-scenes booklet that mistakenly lists Elizabeth Bracco as having "the female lead in Life is Beautiful and is married to actor/filmmaker Roberto Benigni." there should have been bios for the cast and director. if you like this film, then you have to see another of Jim Jarmusch's best - Down by Law , which features Benigni and his wife Nicoletta Braschi.
Rating:
Summary: There's a fix for the subtitle problem!
Review: I recently got this DVD and was dismayed to find that the English subtitles were missing (as the last reviewer pointed out.) I just found a fix that may work for some people. The "Subtitles" screen lists only French and Spanish as choices. But the remote for my Toshiba 3109 player has a "Subtitles" button that can be used while the movie is playing. With "Mystery Train" this button brings up four choices: "1 Fre", "2 Spa", "3 Fre" and "4 Spa". The first two will bring up French or Spanish subtitles as expected. But choosing either "3 Fre" or "4 Spa" will cause English subtitles to appear for the Japanese portions of the film! So the disc is indeed bungled, but this workaround made it watchable for me. And yes, it's a great movie!
Rating:
Summary: Jarmusch's Classic.
Review: I saw MYSTERY TRAIN in London, back in January 1990. I'd heard about the film before I left the US, but knew it would never play in my home town. I was glad to have the opportunity to see this, and many other wonderful films, during my stay in London. As a "foreigner" in a strange, yet strangely familiar, country I immediately connected with the three tales in MT. Of course, I didn't have the language obstacles the characters have in the film, but I could understand their awe and curiosity about every little thing. Besides that, I felt lucky to be exposed to Jarmusch's style and his filmic vision. I would also see DOWN BY LAW while I was there, and later, while back in the States, Jarmusch's first classic STRANGER THAN PARADISE. MT remains my favorite of the "stranger in a strange land" trilogy, due in no small part to my first exposure to Steve Buscemi. MT is an original, as is Jarmusch. For more of him see his other DVDs as well as his turn as a fisherman in FISHING WITH JOHN.
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