The Man on the Train
The Man on the Train (French: L'homme du train) is a 2002 French crime-drama film directed by Patrice Leconte, starring Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday. It was re-titled Man on the Train in the USA.
The Man on the Train | |
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United States theatrical poster | |
Directed by | Patrice Leconte |
Produced by | Philippe Carcassonne |
Written by | Claude Klotz |
Starring | Jean Rochefort Johnny Hallyday |
Distributed by | Paramount Classics (USA) |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | France |
Language | French |
Budget | €5 million |
Box office | $7,585,989[1] |
The film was shot in Annonay, France and won the audience awards at the Venice Film Festival for "Best Film" and "Best Actor" (Jean Rochefort) in 2002.
Though not an English-language film, the UK Film Council awarded £500,000 to assist its production.[2]
Paramount Classics acquired the United States distribution rights of this film and gave it a limited US theatrical release on May 9, 2003 to a total of 85 theaters; this film went on to gross $2,542,020 in United States theaters,[3] which is a solid result for a non-English film.[4] Paramount Classics was ecstatic with this film's performance in the United States market.[5]
Plot
Milan (Hallyday) arrives in a small town by train at the start of the week. The hotel is closed, but he finds accommodation via a chance meeting with a retired French teacher, Manesquier (Rochefort). The film tells the story of the developing relationship between these apparent opposites, though looming in the background are two unavoidable events that each is expecting to take place on the Saturday – Manesquier is to undergo a major operation, and Milan (though he keeps this secret at first) is to lead a bank robbery. Manesquier soon realises Milan's intentions, but this does not prevent a growing mutual respect, with each envying the other's lifestyle.
Cast
- Jean Rochefort : Monsieur Manesquier
- Johnny Hallyday : Milan
- Jean-François Stévenin : Luigi
- Édith Scob : Manesquier's sister
- Maurice Chevit : The hairdresser
- Riton Liebman : The strong man
English-language remake
In 2011 an English-language remake of this film was released, starring Donald Sutherland as the professor and Larry Mullen, Jr. as the thief.
References
- The Man on the Train at Box Office Mojo
- "UK Film Council – Awards database". Archived from the original on 31 May 2012.
- "Man on the Train (2003) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- Eugene Hernandez. "Box Office Battles: A Look at 2003 for 25 Indie and Specialty Distributors". Archived from the original on 23 April 2007.
- Making the Grade, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 August 2004