Product Details

• Actors: Donald Sutherland, Larry Mullen Jr., Paula Boudreau
• Directors: Mary McGuckian
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: NEW VIDEO GROUP
• DVD Release Date: April 17, 2012
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0064NLP1K
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,482 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A superb remake of Patrick Leconte s 2002 film, Man on the Train is a scrumptiously literate character drama...a ripe illumination, buoyed by the sterling lead performances of Sutherland and Mullen. --The Hollywood Reporter

Product Description

Product Description

A superb remake of the original French film by Patrick Leconte, this literate, slow-burn drama focuses on a transformative friendship that emerges between a sheltered professor (Donald Sutherland) and a laconic career criminal (Larry Mullen, Jr.)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Surprise November 4, 2012

By William Kendall

Format:DVD

I knew nothing about the film, picked it up out of curiousity, and was pleasantly surprised. This is a character study about two very different men whose lives intersect. A criminal arrives in a small town in the days leading up to a heist, and meets a retired professor. The two get to know each other, finding themselves envious of the choices the other has made. Donald Sutherland is, as always, outstanding in anything he does, and his professor, settled into a peaceful retirement, seems bored with his life. Larry Mullen Jr., who usually plays the drums for U2, is surprisingly good as the hard man having doubts about the path he's taken. The film takes its time and moves at a slow pace towards its conclusion, but sometimes that's a very good thing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Remaking A French Art House Classic: Sometimes Interesting, But Largely Unnecessary March 30, 2012

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

I'm not entirely sure that Patrice Laconte's fascinating and contemplative "L'homme du train" from 2002 was begging for an American interpretation, but nevertheless, Mary McGuckian has adapted that film's screenplay for this English language version of "The Man on the Train." I'm generally wary of remakes on principle alone. If the second version can bring something new to the project or appeal to a wider (or different) audience, then sometimes it can make sense. But when both versions target the same demographic, the remake becomes rather pointless. This movie's art house aesthetic and chamber piece vibe are certainly not for everyone. Many of the same people who seek this film out will be fans of the original, and the comparison will not really do the new movie any favors. In truth, "The Man on the Train" is still somewhat noteworthy, especially for Donald Sutherland back in a leading role. It just strikes me as relatively unnecessary as well.

If you know nothing of either film, don't get too wrapped up in descriptions that might have you believe there are elements of a thriller here. While one of the characters is a thief and a crime is committed, that has less to do with the central themes of "The Man on the Train" than you can possibly imagine. This is a talky piece that brings two disparate souls together (rather unnaturally, I might add) for a series of conversations. Sutherland plays a retired professor in an unnamed small town. Larry Mullen, Jr. (U2's drummer) plays an itinerant thief in town for a bank heist. Mullen has a crew we see every once in a while who barely register as significant plot points and no explanation is ever offered why this group would be in this pathetic little burg. But that's secondary. A loquacious Sutherland ponders life as an outlaw and a stoic Mullen sees the advantages of a more mundane existence. These two, with nothing in common, each envies the other. As they say...the road not traveled. The movie is about this unlikely friendship, everything else is relatively unexplored.

Whether or not you enjoy "The Man on the Train" depends on your desire to sit through increasingly obtuse and stilted verbal exchanges. For his part, Sutherland embraces his non-stop barrage of character dialogue with gusto. Mullen is a bit more of an enigma and rarely strings more than a few words together at one time. Some of their exchanges are intriguing, some amusing, and some mystifying. I can't say that I ever particularly bought the premise in this version, but I still was able to go with the flow. And it was good to see Sutherland stand out in a leading role after being relegated to a more supporting position for the last couple of decades. If you like character studies, this might interest you. Anyone looking for something a bit more plot oriented should look elsewhere. KGHarris, 3/12.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Well-Acted Film May 28, 2012

By John Collins

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is surely one of Donald Sutherland's better performances, and all the more so considering the limited depth of the vehicle. It's an interesting short story set to film, and most of it appears to have been shot in Ontario Canada. Larry Mullen Jr. must be a natural or else he spent some considerable time preparing for this role. It's a debut worthy of any actor. The action takes place between Messrs. Sutherland's and Mullen's characters, and the rest of the plotline is merely background for those two. The deleted scene should have been left in as it showcases more of Mr. Sutherland's dexterity and, in my opinion, really adds detail and background to the story. I will say that the storyline towards the end of the film takes an improbable turn, and as life is sometimes stranger than fiction, the fiction here is a little too strange for real life. That said, I liked the ending as it is unique. I'd like to see Larry Mullen Jr. continue to act in mainstream films as he is quite good, and of course Donald Sutherland is an institution. This film is worth seeing.