The Train

Released Mar 7, 1965

2h 13m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

War

List

95%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

89%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

With the Allies poised to retake Paris from the Germans, Col. Franz Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) conspires to sneak out by train all of the art masterpieces looted by the German army. But museum curator Mademoiselle Villard (Suzanne Flon) alerts the French Resistance, and soon railway inspector Paul Labiche (Burt Lancaster) is pressed into service. He reroutes the train, and cleverly deceives Von Waldheim by renaming each train station along the way.

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Stephen H

One of the best war (or railway) movies ever made. Incredible stunts and action scenes. Steam engine footplate scenes galore with spitfire attacks thrown in to put a cherry on top. An incredible testement to the bravery of the french resistance and a fascinating look back into the yesteryear of steam railway operation. What a shame it was not made in colour !.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/24/24

Full Review

Steve D

Not my taste but really well done.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/15/24

Full Review

Alec B

Frankenheimer manages to make the movie both an exciting action thriller and a commentary on how art is just as important to a culture's survival as its people.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

Full Review

Lon A

Well acted, good plot, plenty of action.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/24/23

Full Review

Christopher S

My octogenarian friend told me that contemporary movies do not depict war nearly as well as certain older movies. I scoffed, thinking about the realistic effects, huge casts, and elaborate staging of many newer classic films. He had me watch "The Train" and now I understand. The movies blew me away. Instead of a Rambo or Jason Bourne overcoming impossible odds, this is about one man we can all relate to, thrust into a situation where he has the opportunity to be a hero. The movie captures what it could have been like to actually live during the war, in this case in Nazi occupied France. Things happen fast and slow, and the gravity of the situation is not clear. You respond to intuition, rumors, and incomplete information, and sometimes you lose. The action is authentic, the tragedy real, and the victory pyrrhic. A big yes to this film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/15/23

Full Review

ed m

Really good World war Two thriller. Although Burt Lancaster as a Frenchmen is a little shaky.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/30/23

Full Review

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John Frankenheimer

Director

Arthur Penn

Director

Burt Lancaster

Paul Labiche

Paul Scofield

Colonel von Waldheim

Jeanne Moreau

Christine

Michel Simon

Papa Boule, Engineer

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The Train: Official Clip - Train Painting

2:07

The Train: Official Clip - Men Want to Be Heroes

2:27

The Train: Official Clip - A Lump of Flesh

3:00

The Train: Official Clip - The Execution of Papa Boule

2:12

The Train: Official Clip - A Defeated Army

1:58

The Train: Official Clip - Allied Bombing Raid

2:57

The Train: Official Clip - Train Wreck

3:00

The Train: Official Clip - Spitfire Attack

2:02

The Train: Official Clip - Get Labiche

1:41

The Train: Official Clip - Risking Lives for Art

2:57

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James Jackson

Times (UK)

A pair of high-class performances power this Second World War yarn.

Mar 4, 2024

Full Review

David Mermelstein

Wall Street Journal

The movie’s central moral question -- Can we justify the loss of human life to save inanimate objects? -- remains as potent as ever. And one of this film’s greatest attributes is that it leaves the answer to the viewer.

Sep 29, 2023

Full Review

Edward Porter

Times (UK)

Its waffly thoughts on cultural heritage can’t derail it.

Aug 29, 2022

Full Review

Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

A thrillingly visceral experience with a questioning, philosophical soul. This was the last studio action extravaganza to be shot in black-and-white, and the shades of gray suit the film's murky moral inquiries.

Apr 8, 2022

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

A flawed gem...filmed in glorious "European widescreen" and French-processed black and white.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 26, 2021

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

This gripping film places a philosophical query in the context of a rousing action flick.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 16, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

With the Allies poised to retake Paris from the Germans, Col. Franz Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) conspires to sneak out by train all of the art masterpieces looted by the German army. But museum curator Mademoiselle Villard (Suzanne Flon) alerts the French Resistance, and soon railway inspector Paul Labiche (Burt Lancaster) is pressed into service. He reroutes the train, and cleverly deceives Von Waldheim by renaming each train station along the way.

Director: John Frankenheimer, Arthur Penn
Screenwriter: Rose Valland, Franklin Coen, Frank Davis, Albert Husson
Distributor: MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., United Artists
Production Co: Les Films Ariane, United Artists, Dear Film Produzione, Les Productions Artistes Associés
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 7, 1965, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Runtime: 2h 13m
Sound Mix: Surround

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