The Fabulous Fifties:

 "I still think it would be wonderful to have a man love you so much he'd kill for you"

 

Review: Strangers on a Train

An Augustus Review of 7/10

For the second movie of the Fabulous Fifties week, I'll be reviewing Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train. This movie stars Farley Granger as Guy Haines, Ruth Roman as Anne Morton and Robert Walker as Bruno Anthony. 

This classic movie surrounds the character of Guy Haines, a mediocre tennis player who is trying to divorce his wife in pursuit of his new love, Anne. The film starts with Guy on a train going to meet his unfaithful wife. Guy meets Bruno Anthony, a strange man who recognized Guy from newspapers.

Bruno is fully aware of Guy's relationship problems due to them being broadcast over the local papers. He begins to talk to Guy and lets him in on a plan of the perfect murders where no one could get caught. Bruno explains to Guy that if Bruno killed Guy's wife in return for killing his father, they would accomplish a double murder. To Bruno, this plan seems fool proof because no one would be able to link the strangers. Guy is completely astonished at Bruno and gets up as leaves. However, Bruno misunderstands the gesture as a yes to the plan.

Guy meets up with his wife who calls off the divorce. Guy, furious, threatens his wife. He calls Anne and in anger tells her he wants to "strangle" his wife. His wife is on her way home when Bruno begins to follow her. He catches up to her and strangles her to death. 

After discovering the dead body, Guy tries to contact his alibi, a college professor who was on the train but was too intoxicated to remember Guy and Bruno's meeting. To make matters worse, Bruno shows up and tells Guy it's time for him to keep his end of the deal. 

Bruno sends Guy a pistol, map of his father's house and keys. He then shows up at a local party where Anne is attending. Bruno shows a crowd how to strangle a woman without her screaming. In the process, he sees another woman who looked similar to Guy's ex-wife and truly begins to strangle the girl. Anne puts the clues together and confronts Guy who finally he tells her the truth. 

Over the phone, Guy agrees to the plan and goes to Bruno's house. He walks into the house and plans to tell Bruno's father of the plan but instead finds Bruno waiting for him. Bruno warns him that if he does not keep his end of the bargain, he will frame Guy for the murder.

Strangers on a Train received overall good reviews and was rated one of the top five best Hitchcock movies. The movie made $7 million in the box office which in the 1950s would be considered a great deal of money.

So if you're bored one night but in the mood for a cheesy black and white movie, put on your fedora and light a cigarette, because this is definitely the movie to watch!

- Augustus