L'homme du train (2002)

Director:

Patrice Leconte

Writer:

Claude Klotz (writer)

Release Date:

2 October 2002 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A poet. A thief. Two strangers with nothing in common are about to trade their lives for a chance to cheat their destinies.

Plot:

At a deserted train station, a teacher and a gangster meet and realize that each might have been better suited to the other man's way of life...

Plot Keywords:

Train | Opposites | Teacher | Human Relationship | Heart Disease

Awards:

6 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Jean Rochefort	...	Monsieur Manesquier
Johnny Hallyday	...	Milan
Jean-François Stévenin	...	Luigi
Charlie Nelson	...	Max
Pascal Parmentier	...	Sadko
Isabelle Petit-Jacques	...	Viviane
Edith Scob	...	Manesquier's Sister
Maurice Chevit	...	Hairdresser
Riton Liebman	...	Burly Guy
Olivier Fauron	...	Schoolboy
Véronique Kapoyan	...	Baker
Elsa Duclot	...	Waitress
Armand Chagot	...	Gardener
Michel Laforest	...	Pharmacist
Alain Guellaff	...	Surgeon

Also Known As:

The Man on the Train (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Das zweite Leben des Monsieur Manesquier (Germany)
Man on the Train (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for some language and brief violence.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

France | Germany | UK | Switzerland

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Germany:12 | Spain:T | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:A | Denmark:11 | France:U | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Annonay, Ardèche, France

Company:

Ciné B

Quotes:

Sadko: Revenge is misfortune's justice.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Man on the Train (2009)

Wonderful drama about two men who want to switch places...

1st watched 8/9/2003 - 7 out of 10(Dir-Patrice Leconte): Wonderful drama about two men who want to switch places in life because each is bored of what their life has become. One is a bank robber, and the other is a retired poetry teacher. The bank robber is plain tired of the excitement and the other wants excitement in his life. The retired poetry teacher also has an upcoming triple-bypass heart surgery that lends to his aggressiveness about trying out the other lifestyle. Like many French dramas, this movie takes it's time and explores the characters and let's us get to know them. This is `so' lacking in most American films these days and therefore this is a breath of fresh air for those who are okay with reading subtitles. While watching this movie you get the feeling that you're watching two `real' people interacting despite their differences. Do they ever switch places? Well, sort of but like other French dramas `reality' is where the film stays for the most part. The ability for the characters to understand and accept each other is `just' wonderful and makes a wonderful statement about how we should `all' interact and I think this is what makes this film remarkable.