Well, my last review was on a movie that talked explicitly about sex but this one is totally different, as it is about the friendship between two men, sans sex and romance.
Director Patrice Leconte in L’homme Du Train very finely painted the characters of two men who are polls apart, from different walks of life, yet admires each other.
This 2002-released acclaimed French comedy-drama has been recreated in Hollywood with the same name but I am here talking about the original one – L’homme du train.
The Man on the Train is leisurely paced when Milan, a bank robber (played by French rock legend Johnny Hallyday) arrives in a small town by train on a mission to rob a bank, and by chance meets a retired literature teacher, Manesquier (Jean Rochefort) who offers him to stay at his home as the hotel was closed that night.
I have not watched much of Leconte’s film but after watching this, I can say that he loves his characters a lot and likes to present their images with a comic touch.
Here is a trailer for ‘The Man on the Train’ (L’homme du train)
Coming back to the plot, over a period of a few days, both the men befriend chatting with each other on different things and develop a mutual admiration, while longing to live the life of the other, moving away from their own.
Although Milan keeps his secret at first, the retired teacher comes to know about his real motives but that doesn’t prevent them from admiring each other. Earlier in the film, the old teacher had also once expressed his willingness to go all out in holding up a bank, and on another day he even went up to fight with a young man at a restaurant only to find that the young man was his former pupil.
Anyway, the day comes when Milan has to lead a bank robbery and the old man has to go for a triple heart bypass. The aged teacher offers Milan money to abandon his robbery plan but the man refuses, as he had given his words to his accomplices.
All the more, the movie The Man on the Train (L’homme Du Train) is an interesting watch, if you are to experience a different aspect of human emotions and a different level of friendship between two unalike fellows.
Moreover, this is amazingly acted by both the actors and their performance is effective throughout the narration. It is interesting to see a depiction of two men, who have passed their prime, yet long for something new away from their monotonous lives.
The Man on the Train (French: L’homme du train)
Directed by Patrice Leconte
Written by Claude Klotz
Starring: Jean Rochefort, Johnny Hallyday
Release Date/Year: Sept 2, 2002 (Venice); Oct 9, 2002 (France)
Where to watch Man on the Train (2002)
