Strangers on a Train

From its cleverly choreographed opening sequence to its heart-stopping climax on a rampant carousel, this 1951 Alfred Hitchcock classic readily earns its reputation as one of the director’s finest examples of cinematic suspense. Strangers on a Train is not just a ripping-good thriller but a perversely enjoyable battle of wits between tennis pro Guy (Farley Granger) and his mysterious, sycophantic admirer, Bruno (Robert Walker), who, after a chance encounter on a train, devise a devilish “criss-cross” scheme of traded murders. Bruno agrees to kill Guy’s unfaithful wife, in return for which Guy will kill Bruno’s spiteful father. What follows is an expertly-constructed, white-knuckle plunge into fate, coincidence, guilt and psychopathology – favorite themes of noir writer Patricia Highsmith, whose novel was adapted for the screen by Raymond Chandler. (Dir. by Alfred Hitchcock, 1951, USA, 101 mins., Not Rated)