Its admittedly thrilling, if visually ageing, finale is a little silly compared to the rest, but this Hitchcock classic is a true staple of the Noir genre with a killer performance from Robert Walker and a simple premise pushed to its perfect peak. 'Strangers On A Train (1951)' has been reinvented, twisted around and straight-up redone more times than you can count, but this remains as thoroughly entertaining now as it ever was and a real reason why some things just shouldn't be remade. It isn't Hitchcock's best, but sits comfortably in his repertoire and is a suitably gripping film. 8/10

When examining the merits of Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train", it is clear that the Master of Suspense crafted another winner. What was remarkable to me, however, was how he did it with such a simple plot line...instead creating the suspense from one of the creepiest characters in film history.For a basic plot summary, "Strangers on a Train" sees two men meet up with each other on a random train ride. Guy Haines (Farley Granger) is a young tennis pro who desperately wants a divorce from his vindictive wife. Bruno Antony (Robert Walker) is suffocating under the harsh discipline of is father. When Bruno brings up the thought of a "criss-cross" murder swap to solve both their problems, the film has its fuel.In terms of overall plot, the goings are relatively simple here. This is pretty much par for the course with Hitch, as (with a few exceptions) his films' plots are actually pretty standard and containing the tried-and-true MacGuffins he has become famous for (in this case it is a lighter from the scene of a crime).What makes this film really stand out and engage the viewer, then, is the character of Bruno and subsequent acting job by Walker. From the very beginning, audiences understand how crazy of a man Bruno is, and his character-development only continues the journey down that rabbit hole as the film progresses. He is easily one of the spookiest characters ever put to film.Thus, "Strangers on a Train" is a very good Hitchcock effort. It contains the typical MacGuffin plot device, some very inventive camera work, and a villainous character who just may keep you up at night. Watch with confidence knowing it will captivate you from beginning to end.

One day, two men are traveling by train. Guy Haines (Farley Granger) is a young tennis star and Bruno Antony (Robert Walker) is a socialite. A very *disturbed* socialite. Bruno stubbornly tries to get Guy to agree to an "arrangement". Both men have people in their lives whom they could easily do without. With Guy, it's his promiscuous, mercurial wife Miriam (Kasey Rogers). With Bruno, it's his domineering father (Jonathan Hale). So what Bruno proposes is simple: he will murder Miriam while Guy while murder Mr. Antony. Guy, being a basically decent person, will have none of this, but finds it exceedingly difficult to extract this persistent creep from his life.Alfred Hitchcock works wonders with the ingenious source material, Patricia Highsmiths' novel, which was adapted by Whitfield Cook and scripted by Raymond Chandler and Czenzi Ormonde. His mastery of film is evident with some really neat visual tricks, and of course his handling of key suspense sequences. There's one in the Antony family mansion, and a major set piece four fifths of the way through as Hitch cuts between strenuous efforts to retrieve a lighter and Guy's fevered attempts to win as many games as quickly as possible. The finale is also incredibly exciting and memorable, as it takes place on an out of control merry-go- round. Absolutely no time is wasted, as Guy and Bruno meet within the films' opening minutes and it doesn't take Bruno long to propose his scheme to the understandably miffed younger man.The cast is very good all the way down the line. Granger is a typically personable lead, and there's fine support by Ruth Roman as a loyal girlfriend, Leo G. Carroll as her senator father, Hitchs' daughter Patricia as her perky younger sister, the amusing Marion Lorne as Brunos' doting mother, John Brown as a drunken "witness", and Howard St. John, Robert Gist, and John Doucette as various cops. The sadly short lived Walker easily dominates the story, though, and he does a *superb* job. Keep your eyes pealed for the standard Hitch cameo about ten and a half minutes into the film.Top notch filmmaking and storytelling; this is truly one of the all time great Hollywood thrillers. The premise was later exploited for comedic value in "Throw Momma from the Train".10 out of 10.

Certainly, not a great many films made two thirds of a century ago hold up under scrutiny in 2017. If my memory serves me, I first saw this 1951 Hitchcock "Classic" on TV at age 12 or 13. Shame on me for making that fatal mistake of setting my expectation level for a second viewing at "10". My best recommendation for those of you who just might decide to see it for the first time: It is an engrossing character study, (Robert Walker as Bruno Anthony) but falls somewhat short on many other levels, especially when compared to a number of other Hitchcock works. Walker's portrayal of an obsessive sociopathic socialite, although intense, gripping and intriguing, strikes me as very demanding in relation to the 2017 viewer's Suspension of Disbelief. An interesting footnote…This was Walker's penultimate film. He died just before completing his next and last project, "My Son John". Evidently, like the character he portrayed, Walker also was plagued by a number of his own demons. If you crave more details, you can get them here on IMDb. The very best thing STRANGERS has going for it, aside from the aforementioned stellar performance, is the intriguing central premise of the film itself. From the onset, Hitchcock seems keenly aware of this, perhaps overplaying his hand on this point as the film approaches its climax. Without crossing the Spoiler Details threshold, perhaps my biggest criticism of the movie is its final minutes. Visually, a crucial scene just does not hold up to our present day CGI sensibilities. To use an appropriate colloquialism, one scene is really "hokey"! All of which, again, taxed my Suspension of Disbelief to the breaking point. So, don't set your expectations extremely high and the film will be well worth your while.9*....ENJOY!/DISFRUTELA! Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!.....