The Narrow Margin

1952 train movie

Rating: 16/20

Plot: A cop is assigned to escort a witness, the wife of a mobster, to Los Angeles via train.

Taut, suspenseful thriller that supports my theory that movies are better if they take place on trains. Part of me wishes this was longer although the other part of me thinks that the sub-80 minute length is just about perfect. This is stylish without being overtly stylish, and I especially liked the lack of soundtrack (the train noises being a suitable substitution) and camera work which made it impossible to ignore the closed-in spaces the good guys and bad guys were forced to share. Both gave the story a sense of realism that the occasional goofy acting and silly plot twists couldn't take away from. A nice crisp story with some clever dialogue and good characters. One question though: Why does the cop spend so much time wandering around the train? Wouldn't the woman have been a lot safer if he had just stayed with her behind locked doors the entire time?

A WR recommendation.