The Top Ten Movies set on Trains
Ever since the Lumière brothers’ 1895 film L’Arivee d’un train en gare de la Ciotat (often cited as the first film ever made), and The Great Train Robbery (1903), trains have been a vehicle for film narrative. Below, my ten favorite movies that take place on trains, in no particular order. Enjoy! Agree? Disagree? Hit me in the comments.
Train to Busan (2016)
The zombie flick becomes a moving nightmare. A busy executive and his young daughter board a commuter train headed from Seoul to Busan. It’s not until they’re en route that everyone on the train discovers a mysterious disease has. An infected girl has boarded the train unseen. As the train hurtles towards Busan, news broadcasts show the outbreak traveling throughout the country, and very clearly it’s a zombie apocalypse. As the infection spreads through the train, the story reaches new heights of suspense, terror. Terrifying.
The Incident (1967)
This film is based on a 1963 TV movie Ride with Terror. The movie stars Martin Sheen (so young it hurts to look at him), and Tony Musante, who was also in the TV version, stage actress Ruby Dee, and Beau Bridges.
Two thugs (Sheen and Musante) wander out of a Bronx pool hall and leave a trail of violence behind them before taking their act onto the subway. Once they’re in the last car on the number 4 train, they proceed to lock the car doors and bully and terrorize the trapped riders. The sadistic bullying exposes the passengers’ weaknesses and character flaws in an escalating spiral of emotional and physical violence. When the train finally pulls into Times Square and the doors open, the cops make everything worse. Not much has changed. The movie is gritty and disturbing, with excellent performances by all. Watch it now (free).
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
This is Alfred Hitchcock’s last film in Britain before he moved to Hollywood. The film made Margaret Lockwood a star and introduced the British comic duo Charters and Caldicott (Basil Radford and Naughton Wayne).
Iris Henderson (Lockwood), who is traveling alone, has tea in the dining compartment with Miss Froy, a governess who is also traveling alone. They return to their adjoining seats and Iris falls asleep. When she wakes up, Miss Froy is not in her seat. Or anywhere on the train. Even worse, no one on the train (including their cabin mates) recalls seeing her or knowing she exists. Iris feels like she’s losing her mind but doggedly carries on the search no matter what. Watch it now (free)
The Narrow Margin (1952)
This low-budget noir packs in the action, attitude, and suspense of a blockbuster. The nerve-wracking premise, sharp script, and flawless direction make for next-level suspense.
A mob widow from Chicago is traveling by train to Los Angeles to testify before a Grand Jury. Marie Windsor plays the hard-as-nails widow, who’s not above letting the killers pursuing her shoot someone else to save her own skin. The bodies start piling up when one of the cops sent to escort her to L.A. gets killed before they even leave town. Things get more dangerous on the train as the tension between the widow and the cop protecting her escalates. Windsor’s performance is one of the best in film noir history. Not to be missed. Watch it now.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Why did they re-make this? This is a classic! Walter Matthau plays NYPD Lieutenant Zachary Garber, on the case when a gang of armed men hijacks a subway train and the passengers for ransom. Also stars Hector Elizondo, Martin Balsam, and the best villain ever Robert Shaw. Also, look out for Jerry Stiller (Ben’s Dad) as a cop. A crackling script, stellar acting by veterans at the top of their game, and more suspense than waiting for the L train. Watch it now. It’s also available on multiple streaming services.
Shanghai Express (1932)
“It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily.” Marlene Dietrich stars in this sexy adventure set on the Shanghai – Beijing Express. Lily meets her former love Captain Donald Harvey (Clive Brook) a doctor. A lot has changed since they last met. She’s now an infamous courtesan, not quite wifey material. As Lily and the doctor get re-acquainted they each admit to still having feelings for each other. Things take a turn when a warlord and his army take the passengers hostage and demand ransom. To make things worse, the leader of the army is particularly interested in Lily. The script is based on an actual incident that occurred in 1923. Ana May Wong, Hollywood’s first Asian-American film star, plays Lily’s traveling companion. Watch it now (free).
Night Train/Pociag (1959)
This classic of Polish cinema is hauntingly beautiful from its jazzy score to its lush cinematography. Director Jerzy Kawalerowicz did stunning work here. A group of disaffected travelers board a train headed for the seaside. A romance of sorts sparks between Marta and Jerzy. News that a fugitive who killed his wife may be on the train. But is there another killer onboard? The film gets under your skin and the score makes it all the more haunting. Catch the opening sequence and a taste of the indelible jazz score here. The only DVD available at the moment is a region 2 version(non-US) but if you have a multi-region DVD player (a must for any serious film fanatic) player you can watch it.
Snowpiercer (2014)
The future. In an attempt to stave off climate change, humanity screwed up and caused a new ice age. Almost everyone on earth has died, except for the passengers on the Snowpiercer, a train that never stops and is brutally segregated between the elite at the front of the train and the impoverished in the rear. Snowpiercer is a self-contained nation-state with a brutal paramilitary force that keeps the poor in line with violence. The violence is about to come back at them in the form of an uprising by the huddled masses at the back of the train. Watch it now.
Transsiberian (2008)
This excellent thriller stars Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer as a young American couple taking their dream trip on the legendary Russian train voyage. When a sexy but mysterious couple boards the train, things get interesting and dangerous. Who’s hiding what from whom? Why is there a detective on the train? Who are the traffickers he’s hunting? What happened to the money? I can’t stress how twisty and suspenseful this flick is. Great for a cozy snowy Sunday afternoon while sipping hot toddies under the blankie. Watch it now.
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
This is the best-loved film adaptation of all the adaptations of Agatha Christie’s books. In my opinion, it’s the best adaptation of her work ever made. The lavish production boasted an all-star cast including Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, and Lauren Bacall. Albert Finney’s florid portrayal of Hercule Poirot was definitive until David Suchet took on the role for television in 1989.
It’s the 1930’s and we’re aboard the luxurious train Venice-Simplon Orient Express, which travels from Paris to Istanbul. Twelve passengers board a luxury train and one gets killed before they reach their destination. Then the train gets stuck in a snowdrift. Who did what to whom and why? Poirot must find the killer before anyone else dies. The rather over-wrought trailer above is fun to watch. Watch it now (free).
Moebius (1996)
Not in the top ten but an honorable mention for originality. Easily the most original film on this list. From Argentina, a unique story that’s a combination of suspense and sci-fi. It’s just another day in Buenos Aires when an entire subway train and its passengers disappears. No one can find it, even though some people can hear it. The train trips track signals and light changes in the vast subway system under the city. It’s possible the train has even killed someone underground. Not one of the various government and city agencies can find it or figure out what happened. So they decide to ignore it. The director of the transit system refuses to give up the chase and asks the architect who designed the transit system to help. He enlists the help of a young investigator who takes the case in an entirely new and trippy direction. Wonderfully told, stylishly directed. Almost impossible to find, with or without English subtitles, but occasional youtube searches may yield fruit.
PGSOFT
PG SLOT
SLOT MAHJONG
slot thailand
slot gacor maxwin
slot deposit pulsa
slot deposit dana
harum4d
harum 4d
https://noboru-kamitani.com/
slot5000
slot 5000
slot deposit 5000
slot server thailand
tuanbet88
Updated November 2022
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Leave a Reply