elvircorhodzic THE TRAIN is a war thriller that, through a realistic story and intense plots brings a kind of sabotage of Nazi forces during their smuggling of art treasures from France. This is an extremely popular form of struggle between a small resistance movement against a preeminent enemy. Labiche is a French railway inspector and a member of a resistance movement. Allied forces are trying to liberate Paris. During this time, a German colonel tries to move the priceless works of art from the Jeu de Paume Museum to his fatherland. The head of the museum attempts to convince Labiche that he should sabotage the train on which they are transporting the art. However, he is focused on destroying enemy's weapons. Labiche changes his opinion, after an old train driver is killed trying to stop the train with the art...A certain dose of skepticism by the main character is a very pleasant surprise. A masterpiece of art in relation to human life. The national heritage or the pride of France. An obvious lack of emotion and connections is a serious flaw in this film. However, a constant tension, danger and uncertainty raises the atmosphere to a very high level. An exciting and detailed conflict is certainly better than a melodramatic background.The scenery is pretty authentic. Characterization could have been better.Burt Lancaster as Paul Labiche is a strong and stable character with war instincts and fighting spirit. Well, he looks, at times, like a hero, who is fighting for a way out from the general madness. Opposite him is a Nazi colonel Franz von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) as the embodiment of rage and violence. Their support are Jeanne Moreau (Christine) as a brave and angry widow in a small hotel on a railroad. Frankly, I was expecting a romance between her and Labiche. It seems that there is not the time or place for that exhibition. Michel Simon (Papa Boule) is an initiator of a turning point in the story. Albert Rémy (Didont) is a sturdy engine men who lurks every opportunity to sabotage the Nazis. Wolfgang Preiss (Maj. Herren) is a quiet voice on the other side of common sense.It seems that the great courage is to lose life because of a precious work of art. I thought that human life is priceless.

Leofwine_draca Wow. I wasn't expecting anything like this. THE TRAIN is a black and white suspense thriller set in the dying days of Nazi-occupied France. It's one of John Frankenheimer's earliest films and it has all of the suspense, action, and excitement of his late-era productions like RONIN. I thought this would be a typical gung-ho war effort of the kind that Frank Sinatra and George Peppard used to star in, but it's something else entirely.The subject of the film is trains, in particular steam trains. The plot's Macguffin is a shipment of priceless French paintings which Nazi colonel Paul Scofield is attempting to transport to Germany before the Americans arrive in Paris. Burt Lancaster is the tough and imposing resistance fighter who opposes him. The rest of the film is a battle of wills and wits between the two men.Although this is a quite lengthy production it's never boring. Even the dialogue scenes are snappy and bristle with suspense. However, it's the action where this film really hits. The action is terse, realistic, and fast. Frankenheimer was determined to make his film as realistic as possible so there are no special effects or model shots here, just real engines that get crashed and blown up with regularity. I liked Lancaster here better than anywhere else, Scofield's bad guy is perfectly hateable, and the supporting cast are excellent. The last twenty minutes in particular remove dialogue from the equation and focus on nail-biting suspense and heroism. It's a fantastic little movie and one which deserves to be wider known.

gilligan1965 I've been watching this movie from time to time for many years, but, the time I remember best and love most is when I watched it with my 'train-fanatic' little Son. He loves this movie as much as I do, and, I'm sure that anyone who likes train adventures, or, adventures of any kind, will like this, too. My Son never left the living room during the entire movie! :)This really is a classic movie with a great story, great actors, and, a lot of action...especially when Burt Lancaster is speeding away in the train and trying to take cover from the German fighter plane.I not only recommend this movie to war buffs, but, also to anyone who likes a great adventure movie that never gets dull for even a second.I give "The Train" a Solid NINE STARS! :)

tieman64 John Frankenheimer's "The Train" stars Burt Lancaster as Paul Labiche, a French Resistance member. It is the 1511th day of the German occupation, and Paul is attempting to prevent Colonel Franz von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) from transporting French art collections out of France and into Germany.Throughout the 1960s, Franhenheimer made a series of films which flaunted their audacious cutting and kinetic camera work. "The Train" is no different. Virtually every shot is special, the film packed with logistically complex sequences, fine location photography and beautiful, now-extinct steam engines, ink-black monsters which lend the film an air of techno-romance."Beauty belongs to the man who can appreciate it!" Waldheim yells, his words speaking to the misguided exceptionalism of whole nations. Labiche shoots him and walks away. This simple moment of revenge is complicated throughout the picture. No painting is worth a life, Labiche tells us, yet strewn around him are the consequences of his very plan to thwart Waldheim; hundreds dead, all for art which Labiche personally has no interest in. Beauty belongs to the man who appreciates, Labiche perhaps wonders as the film fades to black, so long as he's French?8/10 - One of Frankenheimer's finest. See "Decision Before Dawn" and "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold".