Man on the Train

[ksmc]

Has anyone seen this? I just caught it last night, and I don't imagine I will see a better film this year. Patrice Leconte is quickly becoming one of my favorite filmmakers. His "Widow of St. Pierre" and "The Hairdressers Husband" are among my favorite films as well.

[Gold Trumpet]

This is right along side All the Real Girls on list of movies I want to see the most. I may see it in theatres, but I very may not. Hopefully I do.

~rougerum

[dufresne]

i just saw it today and it was excellent.  a very delicate film.  i look forward to seeing Leconte's other films.

[Ghostboy]

I'll be seeing it this weekend, I think, and then I'll probably go rent Girl On The Bridge, since I've been meaning to see it forever.

[ono]

Possible spoilers.

I just got back from seeing it tonight.  It's ... very weird, very unique.  There's not a film like it, but I kept getting a bit of a Persona vibe, and a Cet obscur objet du desir (That Obscure Object of Desire) vibe from it.

I may have suffered from missing the first five minutes of it or so.  The ending kind of let me down, and didn't really make much sense to me.  Could someone clue me in to what happened up until the point the thief gets the "soluble" tablet for his headache?  And, how is anything that happened before that relevant to the ending?  I get the idea that somehow, they changed places on more than one level, when they first met, and this'd shed some light on what happened at the end.  Thanks.

[Ghostboy]

I just saw it this evening and LOVED it.

Onomatopoeia, the first five minutes are simply Johhny Halladay arriving in the town by train, and immediately going to buy the aspirin, where he (and we) meet Jean Rochefort for the first time, which is where I imagine you walked in.

Here's what the ending is about -- those that have seen it, I'm curious as to whether you agree with me. I'll put it in inviso-text so those that haven't seen it won't have to worry about spoilers.

When the two men are dying at the end of the movie, each imagines the other living on happily. They've spent the whole film realizing how much they envy each other (eventually embodied by the shave and haircut), and in their last moments of life they each think about the path they might have -- and indeed wish -- they'd taken in their lives, even though in the end, they both wind up in the same place. Unbeknownst to them, they've validated each other's lives, in a way. It's one of the most beautiful conclusions I've seen in a long time

[Myxo]

I walked out of this film right as the older guy was getting his hair cut. I started falling asleep. I was bored to tears. I bet the movie redeems itself in the final Act, but my good lord is it boring for 45 minutes. There is just no excuse for the drudgery the film makes you endure for the "payoff" at the end. I'll assume they go ahead with the bank robbery and they both die. I know they both die for sure. Anyway. Half of me goes, "I kinda wish I would have stayed to see it through", and the other half of my goes, "No matter how good it turns out, this is too much. I have no connection to these characters at all."

That is my two cents.

[Sal]

Just saw it tonight, and I really, really liked the progression it made between the two characters as the film went on.  

*possible spoilers*

Just little details really made me happy, like when they turned on the lights in the house, or the baguette sequence.  Great small moments.  When they stood outside on the terrace.  Or when they were drinking cognac.  Those things made the movie for me.  It was small, warm, fun and interesting.  The only thing I didn't like was the ending.  I thought while its intentions were sound, its execution was questionable.  Granted, nothing should have been too explicit for the audience, but I think it was just slightly too vague for its own good, to really give it the emotional punch the audience should've felt.  I think in trying to figure out just what was going on, our emotional connection was lost in the process.  But other than that, I dug it a lot.  I'd say it's also one of my favorites of the year.  

**end spoilers**

[MacGuffin]

While I did like the characters and they were wonderfully performed, I didn't really feel anything for them. I felt that once you got the just of the characters and their modivations, that the film became of a series of one-note, unconnected scenes showing how the characters arc.

[Finn]

It's a really wonderful movie. I had to travel to Dallas to see it but I'm really glad I did.

[cine]

I remember seeing this back in January with The Man Without A Past, and I loved it. I don't remember a lot of it but there was some good comedy in it as when Rochefort has confrontations with the cashier. It was a very poetic film and I really got into their characters.. The ending hit me very similarly to that of Lost in Translation, and I'm sure at least Ghostboy agrees with me on that one. Wonderful film and I can't wait for the DVD.

[MacGuffin]

I can't wait for the DVD.

That's how I saw it:

[cine]

Ah, but you're Mac and I'm not.  I have to wait for it to be released this tuesday.

[Pozer]

This is right along side All the Real Girls on list of movies I want to see the most. I may see it in theatres, but I very may not. Hopefully I do.

~rougerum

you'll hate it

[Pozer]

SPOILER - DON'T READ GHOSTBOY'S INVISIBLE TEXT THAT I UNVISIBLED IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE

When the two men are dying at the end of the movie, each imagines the other living on happily. They've spent the whole film realizing how much they envy each other (eventually embodied by the shave and haircut), and in their last moments of life they each think about the path they might have -- and indeed wish -- they'd taken in their lives, even though in the end, they both wind up in the same place. Unbeknownst to them, they've validated each other's lives, in a way. It's one of the most beautiful conclusions I've seen in a long time [/color]

In Will Ferrell James Limpton impersonation Voice: YEEES!

This is how I felt as well. Loved the pacing, and like Lost In Translation I really enjoyed hanging out with these two men. I wanted to drink cognac with them! but when the envy of eachother started to become apparent is when I really started to love this film.
You're right, beautiful conclusion. I was so inspired when the credits started rolling.
also, loved the western theme music. Very nice touch.
Once again I blind bought this cause of you GB. Great taste as always. thank you.