With the Allies poised to retake Paris from the Nazis, Col. Franz Von Waldheim conspires to sneak out by train all of the art masterpieces looted to bring back to Germany. But museum curator Mademoiselle Villard alerts the French Resistance, and soon railway inspector Paul Labiche is pressed into service. He reroutes the train and cleverly deceives Von Waldheim by renaming each train station along the way. The Train is a tremendous war film loosely based on the true events of the plundering and looting of French art by the Nazis to be shipped to Germany. Whilst holding some other true historical occurrences, like the French Resistance delaying the transport of a train holding art, this movie takes things further with added drama and action. Naturally, these exaggerations are for the appeal of entertainment values, which was quite frankly phenomenal, being much-welcomed implements to this masterpiece. Yes, I consider this motion picture to be one of the utmost greats in the war genre, which, funnily enough, ties equally with another train-oriented story I love, Von Ryan's Express (1965). Quite interesting to think my favourite war movies are centred around trains, even if they use them in very contrasting ways with Von Ryan showing them as a force for good, whereas this movie shows it as a force to overcome, as seen in the tagline. We follow a small group of resistance fighters, Didont, Presquet and the leader of the operation, Labiche who are tasked with delaying the shipment until the Allies arrive in their imminent Liberation of Paris. Labiche is easily one of the most captivating features of this adventure going from disapproving of the mission to being the one hammering it to completion. He is frequently put to the test over a multitude of occasions and not once does he break. He is pushed relentlessly but he's resilient, still coming back fighting even if he would prefer to stop. With France finally slipping through the Nazis' fingers, Colonel Franz Von Waldheim is more than determined to see that his paintings are delivered to Germany as he pushes his superiors to allow him a train. His single-mindedness makes him a force to reckon with for Labiche in his efforts to stop the locomotive's unceremonious journey. His attempts only infuriate him, making him all the more ruthless. His desperation and fury are displayed throughout the constant setbacks of this treacherous task as he mercilessly kills and orders the deaths of those who oppose him. There are plenty of extremely brutal and horrific deaths that initially and continue to shock me on my viewings. Director Frankenheimer uses this to have us question and contrast the value of art with that of human life. Frankenheimer's direction truly made this film the spectacle it is with many directorial choices fundamentally shaping its grand look. The artistic choice of a black-and-white format paid off tremendously, allowing the picture to be so well defined and detailed with a deep focus. Everything just pops and stands out making for an eye-catching product that leaves your eyes darting to every aspect, always noticing something new. Also, being before CGI, there was a much-needed reliance on physical attributes. Ultimately, this meant explosions were real, buildings are blown up and trains rammed into one another in one of the most notable scenes with the train collisions. It was truly an outstanding moment to see train upon train come crashing into one another knowing it was really done and naturally all in one take. Some of my other favourite scenes revolved around the duping of the Nazis aboard the stolen art train being led by Labiche. One scene involves people banding together to aid the resistance in disguising other stations to appear like they are heading to Germany despite really looping back around. Overall, I admire The Train for all it accomplishes. It delivers an engrossing, peak adventure that also happens to be the last black-and-white action movie made. It is heralded by a brilliant director, a stupendous lead and supporting cast, plus a heap of thought-evoking storytelling, with the cherry on top of glorious explosive action. This is a pinnacle work of cinema that I heartedly insist you check out.
"Ray" is a shadowy, enigmatic character with no traceable past. People in trouble often come to him for help, since he has a lot of important and powerful contacts. He refuses to be paid for his services; however, those seeking his assistance must promise him a favour. Sometime in the future, Ray will come to collect on that favor usually to aid him in another case. Stingray is a show that quite frankly took me by surprise and left me completely amazed. As I have stated many times I am a huge fan of the 1980s so naturally this show came up on my radar and it was no exception to fueling my admiration for the decade. The show shares plenty of similarities or themes recognisable in other 80s products such as Knight Rider (TV Series 1982-1986) being a man with no identity with a sleek black car or The A-Team (TV Series 1983-1987) being an aid for hire to those in need. All the while sharing similar elements Stingray holds its own identity, which it has undoubtedly ascertained over a plethora of attributes, starting with our lead. Despite having no official name, everyone refers to him as Ray on account of his car a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and even at times people simply call him Stingray. Ray is a man of many skills that he relies on to complete his mission, like for instance, his competence in martial arts, which he uses against the countless oppositions he faces. He is equally an exceptional driver and has a knack for hiding his true identity, especially from officials like police or other members of the government. Being so highly trained, Ray can adaptively overcome the struggles placed before him and persevere till he helps his clients with their unique problems. One of the most engaging aspects of the show was the problems Ray is called upon for. There are many varying situations throughout the show that Ray must overcome from rescuing kidnapped individuals, locating missing people, investigating strange activities, infiltrating dangerous areas, stopping murderers and so on. In most cases it sounds pretty by-the-mill type scenarios to get hired for however this show makes them feel fresh and different. Although intersected among those styles of episodes are ones that are so unique and out-of-the-box crazy that it hooks you immediately before anything is even laid out. From a young client flipping like a switch and trying to kill Ray at the start of an episode, an infected man dying at Ray's house dragging him into a near horrific virus outbreak or someone driving a similar Stingray model car killing Ray's potential clients pretending to be him. These episodes where someone doesn't even hire him and he is drawn unwillingly into a perilous mystery are utterly thrilling. Equally, some episodes take new approaches in their storytelling like an episode where an old lady novelist writes a story that perfectly details the events of Ray's current mission. Just as the episodes take a fresh and out-of-the-box approach, so does every other department in its construction. I am mainly referring to the style of directing and cinematography on display. Throughout this show I was frankly entranced by the experimental camera angles, shots and editing present that was like something I had never seen before. It felt different almost like a student testing and experimenting with their methods on a project and I was intrigued. I would sit in awe as the directors took me on a journey to new heights in filmmaking. Be that as it may, some pieces can be a bit disorienting but even they lended to this distinctive style. Finally, I have to talk about the theme tune and intro. It is phenomenal. It is extreme 80s at its finest with a catchy tune to boot and a fantastic lineup of flashy imagery to get you pumped. Overall, I absolutely adore Stingray and I simply can't believe how many people haven't seen or heard of it before. I was thoroughly gripped by this series and consider myself so fortunate to have stumbled upon it. Everything on display from Ray to the car, the intro, the fighting, the action, is all extremely cool and just awesome. Plus all 25 episodes of the show are available on YouTube for free, making for some ideal and accessible viewing thanks to FilmRise Television.
