Strangers on a Train

That tennis match went on for far too long but the merry-go-round stuff was great.

A strong, but not perfect entry for Hitchcock. There are so many elements that work: the premise is delightfully macabre and there are moments of real tension. Robert Walker's Bruno is one of my favorite Hitchcock characters--his sociopathy is so on the surface, but he never feels cartoonish, just childish (in a good way.) The smoothness with which he ingratiates himself with Guy gives shivers, and I can't get over the way he says "criss-cross." That said, the movie doesn't have quite enough plot to sustain the runtime and Hitch doesn't quite know how to end the movie--it falls apart in the third act with an absurd tennis match, a lighter just out of reach, and a merry go round ride from hell. Still, it's all good campy fun and ranks up there for me on the strength of Walker's performance--pity that he died so young.