Larry Mullen`s The Man on the Train , Our Review

We have recently  had the pleasure of watching the movie starred by Donald Sutherland and Larry Mullen Jr , The Man on the train, directed by Mary McGuckian (remake of the 2002 French film L'homme du train).  Here is our review. 

Larry Mullen Jr is an integral part of the Irish rock band U2 and we’re used to seeing Larry somewhere in the background, drumming away. He seems quite happy not being in the limelight like the rest of his band mates. Therefore it is refreshing to see him step out of his comfort zone and have all the attention focussed on him.

The start of the movie hints at an unusual storyline and it turns out exactly like that. Larry is a man of few words in general and in the movie this is very well portrayed. The character he plays (the man on the train) is a loner who doesn’t mingle and interact with others – in fact; he seems to look uncomfortable whenever in the company of strangers. I particularly liked the fact that the small time where the movie plays off is never mentioned. When the stranger steps off the train, you see a signboard with the first half of the name blocked out. All that can be seen is ‘ville’ – and this sets the tone of the mystery. As the story progresses, one doesn’t know exactly why he is a loner – the movie doesn’t reveals this and for some reason it works very well to enhance the feeling of suspense. The unlikely friendship between the man on the train and the professor has an impact on both men; albeit very subtly throughout the movie.

We get to know why the stranger is in town – he and a few of his cronies are planning to rob the bank. As the stranger and the professor’s relationship grows slowly over a period of days, both changes in subtle, almost-unseen ways. The man on the train somehow, gives the older professor ‘permission’ so to speak, to dare to be the man he always wanted to be but never had the courage to take that step out of his comfort zone to do so. The professor – masterfully played by Donald Sutherland – is a man who slowly peels the layers off from the stranger on the train and in its place shows us a man who has a liking for poetry and paintings – so unlike what one would expect. And that in itself dismisses the comparison that all undesirable characters have no appreciation of the finer, more defining things in life.

We get to see the stranger’s hesitation about whether he should go ahead with the bank robbery and when asked by the professor if he was going to go ahead with it – his decision will be based on whether someone pitches up or not. The man on the train’s character charms the professor and leaves him with a sense of envy to be like the stranger – seemingly carefree – so much so that he frequently comments about things he thinks the stranger is/has done in his life while he never did.

Larry seems to be in control of his character and his character’s emotions – something that seems to come effortlessly to him.  As D day approaches, you start hoping that the stranger does not go ahead with the crime of robbing the bank – because it becomes clear that it might not be that well organised anyway – and could very well go wrong.

When the big day arrives and the man on the train is about to leave the professor’s house, there is a sense of reluctance from both characters. The professors tells the stranger that there is a train leaving at 9.15am in case he changes his mind – and I found myself holding thumbs that the stranger follows the older man’s advice.

The bank robbery, thank goodness, isn’t very violent – just a lot of swearing –as the 4 misfits rush into the building, faces covered with balaclavas and screaming commands to frightened personnel and customers. What happens next is something totally unexpected and it immediately raises the question whether things turned out that way because it was a bad idea from the beginning or perhaps intervention from another source? A shooting ensues and the stranger is badly hurt – so much so that he’s rushed to the local hospital after 2 gang members got away and the other one is arrested by the local police.

The ending of the movie is a pleasant, unexpected surprise! I do not want to spoil it for anyone who’d like to see the movie, but it leaves you with a few questions and what I like about this, is it makes you think – almost as if you can decide your own ending and why it happened that way. I do like movies/stories that leave out some details, especially towards the end, so that it can make you think.

The movie score was co-written by Larry Mullen and if you listen carefully, there is a bit of a U2 hint in the instruments. In my opinion, the music complimented the movie very well – it enhanced the mostly dark moments splendidly. It was strange to see the world famous rock star sporting dark hair, moustache and a goatee – but it does suit him quite well – he looked very much in control as would be expected from the character he played. And oh, yes, the man has beautiful hands – they feature quite a lot in the movie and speak a language of their own. And another plus in the movie – Larry’s lilting Irish accent is well in place – somehow I couldn’t imagine him speaking with an American accent at all!

This movie will not be in everyone’s taste and is definitely not a Hollywood blockbuster with Oscar potential, but it definitely does have a certain charm that manages to draw you in.

Would I recommend it to anyone? Most definitely; yes, but don’t expect an over-the-top production because ‘The man on the train’ is not that at all! If you feel like watching something a little different than the usual same old stuff, mass produced in Hollywood, then this movie is a good candidate to watch. I’m certain you’ll end up enjoying it. I can’t wait to see what Mr. Mullen comes up next – especially with a new production being filmed in Dublin, Ireland. 

 MJ for Mysterious Distance ©

To read what Larry had to say about the making of The Man on the Train,click here.