this be such a revered and studied film and a classic among hitchcock many and it take no cajole to want to watch it again . yet you think represent can it hold up even when the huge ( and clever and and amaze ) trick of the plot be no surprise . yes . and for starter there be the start and a profoundly beautiful and slick telling of the really the whole story and the gist of it . two taxi and two men show with their shoe and each walk onto the train and sit then across from each other and and and oops and a mistake and a little nudge and and the conversation begin and and we see the men themselves . they be interchangeable . the tone here be characteristic of hitchcock and a it be in many horror and suspense film cheery and light . we know enter the film and however and that this would not be the case and so already we be worried . what and after all and be about to go wrong . a lot . in truly hitchcock fashion and it be a purely innocent man ( nearly always a man ) who face injustice and who be trap by circumstance threaten what be most valuable to him . the innocent in this case and tennis player guy haynes and be play with an innocence that be believable his collegiate politeness in that first scene and for example and a he realize the other man be a little cuckoo and be just what you or i might do . the not so innocent man be the self absorb and scarily intelligent spoil child and bruno anthony and play with utter brilliance by robert walker . ( this uncanny performance be equivalent to that of another hitchcock wacko and play by anthony perkins in psycho . ) so from scene one and on the train ( and the train and really gorgeous . ) and we have the two lead and we have the mind blowing and utterly simple and ultimately devastating plot and from the first novel by patricia highsmith and who also write the book behind the two mr. ripley movie . and it doesn not hurt that the screenplay be co write by raymond chandler himself and who know something about economy and clever dialog . and crime . and of course there be more than just the first scene . what to note . well and that smarty of a senator daughter ( i think she be terrific ) be hitchcock daughter and patricia and who be still with u ( a of 2009 while she also have a role in psycho ) . and there be a characteristic landmark location for a key scene in the film the tennis court in the hampton and know to u a the site of the u. s. open . the fantastic last full scene with the carousel be the only place where hitchcock move into a kind of slow and steady montage and building up the suspense by make it surreal . the fear get positively fatten with the laugh child and the old man crawl underneath it all . and when it collapse in a crash that all backprojected on a set and one of the more naturalistic us by a director know for not worry about the realism of his back projection . the photography be that perfect hollywood stun without become so stylized ( a in some noir film ) that it be an object in it own right . look again at the first scene and or the shooting ( and edit ) of haynes enter the house for what the audience think be a murder . this be sophisticated construction . when we be not completely surprise that it bruno in the bed and that only prove that the director have u on our toe . something unexpected be always expect . be there glitch . who know . it depend on what kind of falseness you can accept ( or embrace ) a beautiful style . the scene where bruno be choke the old woman at a party be both brilliant ( the woman and play by norma varden and be a caricature so believable it take your breath away ) and mar by his look at the senator daughter and be trigger into a deadly trance by her glass and and her resemblance to his early victim . this be a mid 20th century idea of psychology that intrude on many of hitchcock effort . ( the end of psycho and for starter . ) the wikipedia article on the film smartly emphasize the consistent doubling of thing in the movie and from the main character to the murder victim and the senator daughter . this echo in lot of little way two men trail him to the tennis court and two men accompany the victim to the amusement park and and so on . there can be too much make of this and but it do supply an aesthetic consistency above and below our consciousness . don not forget and there be mean to be two murder it be the lack of the second murder and the inability to create a doubling in that case and that cause bruno to unravel . walker the actor have emotional problem and be institutionalize in the year before this movie be shoot and and just afterwards and he die from a reaction to a drug use to calm one of his outburst . though he appear in other film and stranger on a train be easily his tour de force . farley granger have a long career that never quite saw him break into true stardom and though his style can have a peculiar nervous sweetness that really work and especially in they live by night . and if you watch this one for the first or third time and do look for the chilling and hilarious scene at the tennis match where the crowd head all move back and forth in unison except for bruno . he be star out without move his head straight at u . a the trailer for the movie say and after this movie and you would not be talk to stranger on a train .