Man on the Train

"A poet. A thief. Two strangers with nothing in common are about to trade their lives for a chance to cheat their destinies."

2002 1h 30m FR

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 120

CrimeDramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A man, Milan steps off a train, into a small French village. As he waits for the day when he will rob the town bank, he runs into an old retired poetry teacher named M. Manesquier. The two men strike up a strange friendship and explore the road not taken, each wanting to live the other's life.

“A poet. A thief. Two strangers with nothing in common are about to trade their lives for a chance to cheat their destinies.”

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Cast

Jean Rochefort
Monsieur Manesquier
Johnny Hallyday
Milan
Jean-François Stévenin
Luigi
Pascal Parmentier
Sadko
Charlie Nelson
Max
Isabelle Petit-Jacques
Viviane, Manesquier's mistress
Édith Scob
Manesquier's Sister
Maurice Chevit
Hairdresser

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Patrice Leconte
Writers: Claude Klotz
Languages: French
Countries: France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Patrice Leconte, shot by Jean-Marie Dreujou. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Pascal Estève. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joëlle Hache shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday and Jean-François Stévenin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A poet. A thief. Two strangers with nothing in common are about to trade their lives for a chance to cheat their destinies.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Patrice Leconte directs. Jean-Marie Dreujou behind the camera. Pascal Estève scores. Joëlle Hache cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 24 years ago.
3International production across 4 countries: France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Patrice Leconte, shot by Jean-Marie Dreujou. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Pascal Estève. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Joëlle Hache shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday and Jean-François Stévenin carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A poet. A thief. Two strangers with nothing in common are about to trade their lives for a chance to cheat their destinies.".
9IMDB entry: tt0301414 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.