MovieChat Forums > Man on the Train (2011) Discussion > *SPOILERS* - character drama, and subtex...

*SPOILERS* - character drama, and subtext


Huge subtext between the characters, I didn't get it until The Professor's ladyfriend came to dinner and The Thief and she began a quiet competition. "All women are attracted to it." All of a sudden The Professor's self-description, and evident loneliness, became a lot more than exposition, and moved the plot along.

The Thief's pushing his (much more than an) accomplice out of the way, to take a bullet, was something he wouldn't have done before meeting The Professor. The Professor's explanation about why he didn't marry (afraid of commitment) really resonated with The Thief.

Very surprised at the low rating in IMDB.com, I wonder if it was marketed as a crime-thriller, and viewers were disappointed that it was more of a character drama. Larry Mullen, Jr. was great, had never seen him act and was surprised he would get a lead role opposite Donald Sutherland, and did not know he was THAT Larry Mullen until coming to IMDB. Anyway, I liked it. Well worth my time.

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