in truffaut book length interview with hitchcock and it apparent that big al fear from the police date back to his childhood . his father send him to the police station carry a note . the note say represent he be naughty and imprison him for an hour . the policeman oblige and ever since hitchcock have have a deep fear of be wrongly accuse and take by the police . stranger on a train be probably one of the best in his wrongly accuse series . the movie be base on a patricia highsmith novel . that the same author who write the ripley series . she be always fascinate by smart criminal . hitchcock opening be very strong and take you immediately to the protagonist represent guy haines and a famous tennis player and and bruno anthony and the aspiring criminal . the two guy share a chemistry which in that day and age be probably a lot more than what the audience could chew . bruno try to persuade guy that they could commit the perfect murder ( leave no clue ) and if they switch victim . bruno will kill guy wife who wouldn not give him a divorce and and guy would kill bruno father . the motif be respectively love and money . bruno performance be mean to be seductive and homoerotic . this be not something that be do by accident . in fact and hitchcock edit two version of the movie represent one u and one uk . in the u version the volume of bruno seductiveness be turn down quite a bit . stranger on a train be a very deep movie but more importantly this be another excellent hitchcock thriller . an excellent example of a thrilling scene be when guy be climb the step up to bruno father room . hitchcock reason that the audience attention need to be distract at this point so that they do not figure out what guy will find in the room . hitch treat u to a huge and menace dog at the top of the stair which provide the needed distraction . the most famous shot in the movie occur during a tennis match . bruno have be continuously stalk guy so that guy will fulfil his end of the bargain ( kill his father ) . when guy look at the audience and all the head be swivel back and forth . all except one bruno . he look straight at guy with an i will get you smile . the end be another example of suspense . both men fight for one key piece of evidence on a merry go round that rotate at mad speed . a worker be crawl under it so he could get to the control . when we finally get off this ride and the movie end with guy prove his innocence and we be leave exhausted and nail less ( for those of u still bite our nail . ) . stranger on a train be easily one of hitchcock best wrongly accuse movie . some credit him with one of the best villain ( bruno ) as well . all in all and the movie might appear somewhat dated but that a lesson in thriller making from the master himself . i would not turn down leonardo and if he come to teach me renaissance painting and so neither should you . < < review post at filmdailies . com > > .