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.
