Heavy film that almost implodes under the weight of the drama behind a story thats feels like an Alistair McLean novel. Paul Scofield's character has exceptional development while Burt Lancaster seems thin in terms of screen time and dialogue.

The piece was slow but still had some action. The plot was a little thin over all, but not too bad.

I liked it when Schmidt got owned.

Well paced, well acted and very watchable.

Features some remarkably American frenchmen, but is otherwise a deftly constructed mission film that hits all of the beats it was aiming to hit. There are more honest characterizations of allied and Nazi forces, but this captures the early Hollywood vision of the conflict with panache.

This one took me completely by surprise. Frankenheimer's direction is legendary: he delivers on scene after scene of taught action and suspense that keeps you glued to the screen. Burt Lancaster is great as the Rail-line man who slowly gets sucked into a plan he wanted nothing to do with. Highly recommended.

At its core, the film begs the question, "Is the world's greatest art worth a single life, or many?" or perhaps even more accurately "What petty conflict justifies war over any other?" The suspense and craft of all the action scenes is astounding. And overshadowing all this spectacle is the film's posited thought of the pointlessness of it all. They're paintings. There will be more in the future. It may be no less absurd than fighting over lines on a map. Damn fine war film.

Good film.

An intriguing true story like this practically writes itself? Not really. People have to write and make it, and these being Hollywood people, The Train turns out to be completely imaginary, depressingly unrealistic, emotionally void, relies on boring stereotypes for the German characters, and stars the annoyingly wooden Burt Lancaster. In other words John Frankenheimer screws up this interesting story in much the same way as he did Birdman of Alcatraz. It's also overlong as usual with him.

In 1964 I remember this as a very suspenseful movie. In the 21st century I think we're just too far removed from WW II to relate to trains. Compared to modern special effects in movies this falls short. But it was a believable, engaging story 40 years ago. I still remember spending my allowance to see it.