Strangers on a Train

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Strangers on a Train

PG

Released Jun 30, 1951

1h 41m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

60 Reviews

92%

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25,000+ Ratings

In Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's thriller, tennis star Guy Haines (Farley Granger) is enraged by his trampy wife's refusal to finalize their divorce so he can wed senator's daughter Anne (Ruth Roman). He strikes up a conversation with a stranger, Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), and unwittingly sets in motion a deadly chain of events. Psychopathic Bruno kills Guy's wife, then urges Guy to reciprocate by killing Bruno's father. Meanwhile, Guy is murder suspect number one.

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Critics Consensus

A provocative premise and inventive set design lights the way for Hitchcock diabolically entertaining masterpiece.

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Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

The upshot is a perfect Alfred Hitchcock thriller...with a ingenious plot taken from a Patricia Highsmith novel and a memorably seductive villain.

Nov 2, 2018

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THR Staff

The Hollywood Reporter

Strangers on a Train is an admirable demonstration of Alfred Hitchcock's virtuosity in the area of suspense dramas.

Jun 30, 2017

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TIME Magazine

Winds up with a scene in which a merry-go-round goes wild, spins like a pin wheel, and crashes in a gaudy blaze of explosions that no earthly carrousel could touch off. The movie itself is the same way: implausible but intriguing and great fun to ride.

Aug 30, 2009

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... one of Alfred Hitchcock’s undisputed masterpieces, a thriller of demented wish fulfillment turned into a waking nightmare that turns on a chance meeting.

Feb 8, 2025

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Erica Richards

InSession Film

The punch-line Hitchcock serves is clear: don’t talk to strangers.

Jul 8, 2024

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Despite some questionable changes from Patricia Highsmith's source material, Strangers on a Train showcases Hitchcock at his most gleeful, emphatically building suspense before an explosive climax.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 18, 2024

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Steve L.

My Hitchcock favorites change over the years, but I think this is the one I enjoy rewatching the most. Bruno is one of the great oddball villains. “I’ve always admired people who do things.”

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/30/25

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Stephen C

Success in 1 hour and 41 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/08/25

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Autumn M

Strangers on the Train is a mediocre thriller. The film is the story of maniacal man who tries to convince a tennis player to " swap murders" with him. The characters are too broadly drawn, and the plot is not at all clever. I kept waiting for a classic twist, but was mostly disappointed.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/26/25

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Farah R

Strangers on a Train is a splendid Hitchcock thriller with an engrossing story, brilliant performances, and a satisfying ending.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/12/25

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Alene F

To describe it is to diminish it. Robert Walker steals this film hands down. He IS the film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/13/25

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Insomniac X

Ridiculous arch thriller about a flamboyant psychopath who hatches a murder plot based on anonymity, then does everything possible to connect himself to the crime and those involved. Like the worst Hitchcock storytelling, it has a contrived quality that stifles any suspense and keeps the audience at a distance, unable to engage with it as anything but pure camp. Patricia Hitchcock is the film's only bright spot as the morbid, true-crime obsessed teenager, but her role is minimal. In the words of one character, "it's too fantastic, isn't it?"

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/25

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Robert Walker

Bruno Anthony

Farley Granger

Guy Haines

Ruth Roman

Anne Morton

Leo G. Carroll

Sen. Morton

Patricia Hitchcock

Barbara Morton

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75%

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Synopsis

In Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's thriller, tennis star Guy Haines (Farley Granger) is enraged by his trampy wife's refusal to finalize their divorce so he can wed senator's daughter Anne (Ruth Roman). He strikes up a conversation with a stranger, Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), and unwittingly sets in motion a deadly chain of events. Psychopathic Bruno kills Guy's wife, then urges Guy to reciprocate by killing Bruno's father. Meanwhile, Guy is murder suspect number one.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Producer: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: Whitfield Cook, Patricia Highsmith, Czenzi Ormonde
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 30, 1951, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Runtime: 1h 41m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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