Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2565 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-09-22
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 86 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
You wouldn't think that a movie, which mostly consists of two old guys talking could be a thriller, but that's exactly what L'Homme du Train is. French singer Johnny Hallyday plays a professional criminal who comes to a small town to take part in a robbery. By chance, he meets talkative Jean Rochefort, who invites the laconic Hallyday to stay at his house because the hotel is closed. The two form an unlikely friendship, each curious about (and envious of) the other's life. But all the while plans for the robbery continue, while Rochefort is preparing for a dangerous event of his own. The pitch-perfect performances make L'Homme du Train completely involving. Rochefort and Hallyday play off of each other beautifully; it's impossible to put your finger on what makes these subtle, supple scenes so magnetic. The whole is directed with spare authority by Patrice Leconte (La Veuve de Saint-Pierre). --Bret Fetzer

DVD Description
A mysterious stranger, Milan (Johnny Hallyday), steps off a train in a place he has never been to before. Looking for a pharmacy to buy some aspirin for a raging headache, he comes across a retired school teacher, Manesquier (Jean Rochefort). The two men are complete opposites. Or at least they seem to be. But each man realizes that what he really always wanted is the life of the other man. This … extra "emotional relationship between two heterosexual men is such a difficult and unusual thing to dramatise – but Leconte brings it off with delicacy and persuasive charm" writes Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian.

Special Features
2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1
English

Customer Reviews

A wonderful film
By chance, a retired teacher meets an almost retired gangster:clash of two parallele lives? No, love at first sight of each other's mystery. Each envies the life of the other, especially the teacher! I can easily understand you feel like robbing a bank or killing someone after a lifetime in the classroom. The camera work, sometimes, films the two heroes like in a spaghetti western. Johnny Halliday, the gangster, reminds me of Clint Eastwood when he is not in action but simply thinking.(close-up on the metallic blue iris) He is the man of few words but his rough presence is so powerful!. (Probably due to 40 years of successful pop concert) Jean Rochefort, the teacher, is a lovely excentric man who, like all of us, wishes to have two lives at least if not nine. It is also rare to see a small provincial French town, worts and all. For example the silly mannerism of the typical sale assistant in the baker's shop.
I would recommend the film for its effective humour, the stunning performance of the two actors, for keeping the interest of any spectator without sex, car chases or guns...Well, there are a few shots but you don't know whether they are abstract or real. A wonderful film, full of humanism

A quiet delight
L'Homme Du Train is a quiet, subtle film about the accidental friendship between two very different men.

At first there does not seem to be much of a story to be told in this film but this is deceptive. The film delivers great performances from the two leading men, Johnny Hallyday and Jean Rochefort. There are no shocking thrills as in American cinema and yet the film is a thriller. It also manages to be a character study of two very different men. Hallyday is a bank robber (and potentially violent) and Rochefort a retired schoolteacher. Each man secretly desires the other mans life.

What kept me watching was the quietness of the film - the director obviously felt no need for background music. When no one speaks, the film is comfortable with silence. The story speaks for itself with no need for extra assistance from background music. The major and minor characters such as the bakery assistant are compelling to watch.

This film is well worth viewing and is a good example of how American and French cinema differ. This film could have been a loud, violent and visually spectaclar thriller and yet Patice Leconte has directed a more intelligent and sophisticated story which leaves the viewer with a feeling of satisfaction. The resolution of the film is ingenious and imaginative.

A sublime film!

L'Homme Du Train
I originally saw this at the cinema, and I very much enjoyed it, a film contrasting a dark brooding side with the banality of regional life. The cinematography is typically French just the colour angles and everything. I would say if you like Harold Pinter this will be right up your street the same depth tinged with humanity, humour and honest observation. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good serious film, give yourself an hour free afterwards for contemplation.