"A Steam Train Passes"

[Pahonu]

Ivan wrote -
"Oh, and I also forgot the underrated 1990 suspense train gem from the very underrated Peter Hyams - NARROW MARGIN. One of my favorite suspense films and almost all of it takes place on a train traveling through the Canadian Rockies. Gene Hackman for my money has never been better!! He's a prosecutor who needs to get a scared murder witness (Anne Archer) to trial as killers pursue and shadow them aboard the train.
James Sikking is one of the killers - a well-spoken man who tries to bargain with Hackman to hand over Archer in one of the best scenes in the film.
Their civil back-and-forth behind a table in a train compartment is just priceless and Hackman is sooo good there! Between this film and CAPRICORN ONE I think Hyams really delivered 2 of my favorite suspense films.
I recommend both if you guys haven't see either. Also there was the original NARROW MARGIN film noir from 1952 with Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor (also on a train) and while most tend to prefer that version I guess I'm in the minority in vastly preferring the 1990 version. The suspense is so thick you could cut it with a knife! At least that's how I feel every time I see it."

Hi Ivan,
I confess I have yet to see - or forgot - the Gene Hackman remake but it does have a good reputation, and after your review I am determined to go see it.
By the way Dick Van Dyke is Hackman's cousin.
I'm curious if the remake features the same bit of sly business that escapes almost everyone who sees the original movie, though it is a vital part of McGraw's own journey.
Mobster Yost is on board the train with 2 other hoods, he gives McGraw a 5 grand bribe - down payment on 30 grand - to ponder on, before he decides to throw in with the
bad guys. Cut to a 5 minute stop at a station where McGraw is writing a wire to HQ, at the Western Union office, informing them there are 3 hoods on the train, and naming them.
Yost appears beside him, reminding him of the 30 grand, how it could help his partner's widow, then leaves.
McGraw then scratches Yost the briber's name off the wire, leaving the names only of the 2 musclemen. At that moment, he indeed has gone over or is about to. Which makes it a better picture,
he is human not a Joe Friday automation, as everything is seldom black and white in Noir. He rights himself eventually, but he was tempted.
Do you happen to recall if Hackman's version has that bit of business? I never noticed till I saw the film several times, but it looms large in the story.

Oh no, Hackman never for a second ponders going over to the "dark" side. He makes a point to Sikking that he loves his job. The pay is lousy but he loves seeing the baddie start squirming and sweating in his seat in the courtroom as the noose gets tighter and tighter around his neck as he's about to be sent down the river for a long, long time. You just can't bribe Hackman in this one. He takes his job very personally and gets extreme satisfaction from prosecuting scumbags and killers. I don't get the feeling that he's squeaky clean and does everything by the book but he's definitely someone who hates the criminal element and takes it upon himself personally to put them away. And he goes about it with a great sense of humor as well. That's what makes his performance a standout for me! Forget Popeye Doyle. Robert Caulfield is Hackman's signature role!

My favorite Hackman role isn’t Popeye Doyle either… it’s Harry Caul, from The Conversation.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Ivan wrote -
"Oh, and I also forgot the underrated 1990 suspense train gem from the very underrated Peter Hyams - NARROW MARGIN. One of my favorite suspense films and almost all of it takes place on a train traveling through the Canadian Rockies. Gene Hackman for my money has never been better!! He's a prosecutor who needs to get a scared murder witness (Anne Archer) to trial as killers pursue and shadow them aboard the train.
James Sikking is one of the killers - a well-spoken man who tries to bargain with Hackman to hand over Archer in one of the best scenes in the film.
Their civil back-and-forth behind a table in a train compartment is just priceless and Hackman is sooo good there! Between this film and CAPRICORN ONE I think Hyams really delivered 2 of my favorite suspense films.
I recommend both if you guys haven't see either. Also there was the original NARROW MARGIN film noir from 1952 with Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor (also on a train) and while most tend to prefer that version I guess I'm in the minority in vastly preferring the 1990 version. The suspense is so thick you could cut it with a knife! At least that's how I feel every time I see it."

Hi Ivan,
I confess I have yet to see - or forgot - the Gene Hackman remake but it does have a good reputation, and after your review I am determined to go see it.
By the way Dick Van Dyke is Hackman's cousin.
I'm curious if the remake features the same bit of sly business that escapes almost everyone who sees the original movie, though it is a vital part of McGraw's own journey.
Mobster Yost is on board the train with 2 other hoods, he gives McGraw a 5 grand bribe - down payment on 30 grand - to ponder on, before he decides to throw in with the
bad guys. Cut to a 5 minute stop at a station where McGraw is writing a wire to HQ, at the Western Union office, informing them there are 3 hoods on the train, and naming them.
Yost appears beside him, reminding him of the 30 grand, how it could help his partner's widow, then leaves.
McGraw then scratches Yost the briber's name off the wire, leaving the names only of the 2 musclemen. At that moment, he indeed has gone over or is about to. Which makes it a better picture,
he is human not a Joe Friday automation, as everything is seldom black and white in Noir. He rights himself eventually, but he was tempted.
Do you happen to recall if Hackman's version has that bit of business? I never noticed till I saw the film several times, but it looms large in the story.

Oh no, Hackman never for a second ponders going over to the "dark" side. He makes a point to Sikking that he loves his job. The pay is lousy but he loves seeing the baddie start squirming and sweating in his seat in the courtroom as the noose gets tighter and tighter around his neck as he's about to be sent down the river for a long, long time. You just can't bribe Hackman in this one. He takes his job very personally and gets extreme satisfaction from prosecuting scumbags and killers. I don't get the feeling that he's squeaky clean and does everything by the book but he's definitely someone who hates the criminal element and takes it upon himself personally to put them away. And he goes about it with a great sense of humor as well. That's what makes his performance a standout for me! Forget Popeye Doyle. Robert Caulfield is Hackman's signature role!

My favorite Hackman role isn’t Popeye Doyle either… it’s Harry Caul, from The Conversation.

Honestly I was bored by The Conversation when I saw it some years back. Hackman was good as this quiet paranoid introvert but just the story didn't really grab me. I know there was a shocking twist at the end which was unexpected and that was interesting. But it was just really slow going for most of the way. Did you know that Hackman's role in Tony Scott's ENEMY OF THE STATE (a film I really enjoy) was supposed to be a sort of older Harry Caul type? He's also a surveillance bug in that one and even makes references to his past in the 70s when he was doing all kinds of surveillance work. I think at some point they were even thinking about having Hackman actually play Harry Caul but ultimately they decided to change the name to someone else.

[Pahonu]

Ivan wrote -
"Oh, and I also forgot the underrated 1990 suspense train gem from the very underrated Peter Hyams - NARROW MARGIN. One of my favorite suspense films and almost all of it takes place on a train traveling through the Canadian Rockies. Gene Hackman for my money has never been better!! He's a prosecutor who needs to get a scared murder witness (Anne Archer) to trial as killers pursue and shadow them aboard the train.
James Sikking is one of the killers - a well-spoken man who tries to bargain with Hackman to hand over Archer in one of the best scenes in the film.
Their civil back-and-forth behind a table in a train compartment is just priceless and Hackman is sooo good there! Between this film and CAPRICORN ONE I think Hyams really delivered 2 of my favorite suspense films.
I recommend both if you guys haven't see either. Also there was the original NARROW MARGIN film noir from 1952 with Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor (also on a train) and while most tend to prefer that version I guess I'm in the minority in vastly preferring the 1990 version. The suspense is so thick you could cut it with a knife! At least that's how I feel every time I see it."

Hi Ivan,
I confess I have yet to see - or forgot - the Gene Hackman remake but it does have a good reputation, and after your review I am determined to go see it.
By the way Dick Van Dyke is Hackman's cousin.
I'm curious if the remake features the same bit of sly business that escapes almost everyone who sees the original movie, though it is a vital part of McGraw's own journey.
Mobster Yost is on board the train with 2 other hoods, he gives McGraw a 5 grand bribe - down payment on 30 grand - to ponder on, before he decides to throw in with the
bad guys. Cut to a 5 minute stop at a station where McGraw is writing a wire to HQ, at the Western Union office, informing them there are 3 hoods on the train, and naming them.
Yost appears beside him, reminding him of the 30 grand, how it could help his partner's widow, then leaves.
McGraw then scratches Yost the briber's name off the wire, leaving the names only of the 2 musclemen. At that moment, he indeed has gone over or is about to. Which makes it a better picture,
he is human not a Joe Friday automation, as everything is seldom black and white in Noir. He rights himself eventually, but he was tempted.
Do you happen to recall if Hackman's version has that bit of business? I never noticed till I saw the film several times, but it looms large in the story.

Oh no, Hackman never for a second ponders going over to the "dark" side. He makes a point to Sikking that he loves his job. The pay is lousy but he loves seeing the baddie start squirming and sweating in his seat in the courtroom as the noose gets tighter and tighter around his neck as he's about to be sent down the river for a long, long time. You just can't bribe Hackman in this one. He takes his job very personally and gets extreme satisfaction from prosecuting scumbags and killers. I don't get the feeling that he's squeaky clean and does everything by the book but he's definitely someone who hates the criminal element and takes it upon himself personally to put them away. And he goes about it with a great sense of humor as well. That's what makes his performance a standout for me! Forget Popeye Doyle. Robert Caulfield is Hackman's signature role!

My favorite Hackman role isn’t Popeye Doyle either… it’s Harry Caul, from The Conversation.

Honestly I was bored by The Conversation when I saw it some years back. Hackman was good as this quiet paranoid introvert but just the story didn't really grab me. I know there was a shocking twist at the end which was unexpected and that was interesting. But it was just really slow going for most of the way. Did you know that Hackman's role in Tony Scott's ENEMY OF THE STATE (a film I really enjoy) was supposed to be a sort of older Harry Caul type? He's also a surveillance bug in that one and even makes references to his past in the 70s when he was doing all kinds of surveillance work. I think at some point they were even thinking about having Hackman actually play Harry Caul but ultimately they decided to change the name to someone else.

That’s really interesting. I haven’t seen Enemy of the State, but if they had done the return of Harry Caul, I probably would have! I do remember reading about it when it came out. I also remember when Tony Scott died jumping from a nearby bridge. It was all over the afternoon news that weekend and no one could understand why. His suicide has occasionally crossed my mind when I have driven over the Vincent Thomas to get to San Pedro. It’s really high!

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Ivan wrote -
"Oh, and I also forgot the underrated 1990 suspense train gem from the very underrated Peter Hyams - NARROW MARGIN. One of my favorite suspense films and almost all of it takes place on a train traveling through the Canadian Rockies. Gene Hackman for my money has never been better!! He's a prosecutor who needs to get a scared murder witness (Anne Archer) to trial as killers pursue and shadow them aboard the train.
James Sikking is one of the killers - a well-spoken man who tries to bargain with Hackman to hand over Archer in one of the best scenes in the film.
Their civil back-and-forth behind a table in a train compartment is just priceless and Hackman is sooo good there! Between this film and CAPRICORN ONE I think Hyams really delivered 2 of my favorite suspense films.
I recommend both if you guys haven't see either. Also there was the original NARROW MARGIN film noir from 1952 with Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor (also on a train) and while most tend to prefer that version I guess I'm in the minority in vastly preferring the 1990 version. The suspense is so thick you could cut it with a knife! At least that's how I feel every time I see it."

Hi Ivan,
I confess I have yet to see - or forgot - the Gene Hackman remake but it does have a good reputation, and after your review I am determined to go see it.
By the way Dick Van Dyke is Hackman's cousin.
I'm curious if the remake features the same bit of sly business that escapes almost everyone who sees the original movie, though it is a vital part of McGraw's own journey.
Mobster Yost is on board the train with 2 other hoods, he gives McGraw a 5 grand bribe - down payment on 30 grand - to ponder on, before he decides to throw in with the
bad guys. Cut to a 5 minute stop at a station where McGraw is writing a wire to HQ, at the Western Union office, informing them there are 3 hoods on the train, and naming them.
Yost appears beside him, reminding him of the 30 grand, how it could help his partner's widow, then leaves.
McGraw then scratches Yost the briber's name off the wire, leaving the names only of the 2 musclemen. At that moment, he indeed has gone over or is about to. Which makes it a better picture,
he is human not a Joe Friday automation, as everything is seldom black and white in Noir. He rights himself eventually, but he was tempted.
Do you happen to recall if Hackman's version has that bit of business? I never noticed till I saw the film several times, but it looms large in the story.

Oh no, Hackman never for a second ponders going over to the "dark" side. He makes a point to Sikking that he loves his job. The pay is lousy but he loves seeing the baddie start squirming and sweating in his seat in the courtroom as the noose gets tighter and tighter around his neck as he's about to be sent down the river for a long, long time. You just can't bribe Hackman in this one. He takes his job very personally and gets extreme satisfaction from prosecuting scumbags and killers. I don't get the feeling that he's squeaky clean and does everything by the book but he's definitely someone who hates the criminal element and takes it upon himself personally to put them away. And he goes about it with a great sense of humor as well. That's what makes his performance a standout for me! Forget Popeye Doyle. Robert Caulfield is Hackman's signature role!

My favorite Hackman role isn’t Popeye Doyle either… it’s Harry Caul, from The Conversation.

Honestly I was bored by The Conversation when I saw it some years back. Hackman was good as this quiet paranoid introvert but just the story didn't really grab me. I know there was a shocking twist at the end which was unexpected and that was interesting. But it was just really slow going for most of the way. Did you know that Hackman's role in Tony Scott's ENEMY OF THE STATE (a film I really enjoy) was supposed to be a sort of older Harry Caul type? He's also a surveillance bug in that one and even makes references to his past in the 70s when he was doing all kinds of surveillance work. I think at some point they were even thinking about having Hackman actually play Harry Caul but ultimately they decided to change the name to someone else.

That’s really interesting. I haven’t seen Enemy of the State, but if they had done the return of Harry Caul, I probably would have! I do remember reading about it when it came out. I also remember when Tony Scott died jumping from a nearby bridge. It was all over the afternoon news that weekend and no one could understand why. His suicide has occasionally crossed my mind when I have driven over the Vincent Thomas to get to San Pedro. It’s really high!

ENEMY OF THE STATE is a really good suspense/action thriller. It calls back to the great suspensers of the 70s regarding government surveillance and "Big Brother watching" type of paranoia, with Will Smith in good form in the lead. But of course Gene Hackman (who doesn't even show up until the middle of the film) steals the film as always. Jon Voight as usual makes for a solid villain. Highly recommend the film. Definitely in my book the best film that Tony Scott ever made! Forget TOP GUN or any other cheesy actioners of its ilk. Yep I recall the day Scott jumped off the bridge. It was all over the news. I think it was later revealed that he had cancer and didn't have long to live. So I guess he decided to go out on a real high (no pun intended). Kind of fitting for a guy who made a living directing adrenaline-fueled types of summer blockbusters.