Seen for the first time in December 2012.
"Strangers on a Train" is Hitchcock at his best. Tightly plotted and efficient delivery of suspense. Hitchcock working with source material from Patricia Highsmith is an exciting combination, and this totally delivers. Bruno is a great villain, some kind of homosexual socialite with an Oedipal complex, played very well by a creepy Kevin Spacey looking fellow.
The guy who plays Guy, on the other hand, is the worst actor in this. He is at times too staged and theatrical, ultimately delivering a stiff performance of a seemingly constipated character, though ultimately sympathetic and so no real harm done.
There are some nice laughs in here as well. Hitchcock doesn't always leaven things, but when he does he generally succeeds. The only boring part is the tennis game, which was supposed to be suspenseful, but could have been executed better. The scene on the merry-go-round on the other hand is one of the very best scenes in the history of cinema.
Ultimately, this is a perfect Hitchcock. Not as jaw-dropping as the first time you watch the end of "Vertigo," but certainly with more replay value and just as good as "Psycho" or "Rear Window." A tightly plotted thriller with no meandering or waste of any kind, plenty of tension, and a wonderfully creepy antagonist. Also this is historically probably the first film about a famous person and an unhinged fan. Grade A.
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