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.
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