Last week we looked at movies set on planes. With this week’s Sunday night movie on M-Net – The Girl on the Train – set on a train, we thought we’d take a look at some of the best movies set on this thrilling, mobile location.
- The Darjeeling Unlimited
Wes Anderson is at his quirkiest best in this tale of three estranged brothers travelling together aboard The Darjeeling Limited, in India. This movie, like the oh-so-true cliché, is about the journey and not the destination as the brothers reconnect with one another and their eccentric mother.
- Hitchcock Movies
The master of suspense has so many movies and scenes set on trains, he gets a spot all to himself. From Cary Grant’s initial encounter with Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest to exchanging murders in Strangers on a Train to the disappearance of an old woman passengers claim does not exist in The Lady Vanishes, they’re all so good, we couldn’t possibly pick one.
- James Bond Movies
On top. Underneath. On the side. Bond’s tried all the positions when it comes to trains. Whether it’s Skyfall’s opening train fight, the tense dinner scene in From Russia with Love, meeting Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, dangling under a carriage in Octopussy, or GoldenEye’s death-defying escape, Bond knows how to handle a locomotive.
- Murder on the Orient Express
A thrilling adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel featuring an all-mighty twist and a smorgasbord of Hollywood stars, the action takes place entirely on a train. It’s just been remade – featuring an equally divine smorgasbord of A-list talent – and is due for release this year.
- The Great Train Robbery
Michael Crichton (author of Jurassic Park and The Lost World) adapted his novel The Great Train Robbery for the screen and stepped behind the camera to direct. Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, and Lesley-Anne Down play the enterprising trio intent on robbing a train while it’s whistling down the tracks.
A shout out must also be made to the 1903 movie of the same name that defied convention at the time…by filming on location.
- Harry Potter
Granted, these films are set largely in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but the train journey to said destination plays such an integral part in the overall story – not least of which is the fact that this is the place where Harry, Ron, and Hermione first meet – we had to give it a mention.
- Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
This John Hughes’ comedy pairs Steve Martin and John Candy as two men trying to make their way home from New York City to Chicago. One mishap after another forces the two to travel together via planes, cars, and of course trains.
- Source Code
Duncan Jones’ loopy sci-fi sees Jakes Gyllenhaal’s character Colter Stevens relive the final moments of a man who died in a train explosion, over and over again. The confined setting of the train escalates the tension, as Stevens tries to uncover the bomber’s identity.
- The Polar Express
Another book to movie adaptation is this children’s romp to the North Pole via the Polar Express. Feel good and heartwarming, it’s set during Christmas Eve, making it a perfect festive season film.
- Unstoppable
The title says it all as Denzel Washington and Chris Pine try to stop an out-of-control train from roaring into the path of innocent bystanders. Based on a true story, this was the last film from iconic director Tony Scott before his death in 2012.
Get on board with Emily Blunt in your Sunday night movie The Girl on the Train on 29 October at 20:05 on M-Net.