bensonmum2
A terrorist plants a bomb on a train carrying military explosives. Officials call in an ex-Army bomb disposal expert, Peter Lyncort (Glenn Ford), to help with the situation. The first hurdle is locating the bomb. The train is carry several cars, each loaded with ten or so mines. Lyncort's got his work cut out for him just finding the device. To make matters worse, the bomb is outfitted with a timing detonator. If he can't find it in time – BOOM!Overall, Terror on a Train was a disappointing experience. My rating would seem to indicate that I found the movie about average, but that rating is a little misleading. The plot here is horribly dull. There really aren't any twists and turns or other surprises to make things interesting. It's all presented in an incredibly linear fashion. There's a bomb, there's a bomb disposal expert, Lyncort looks for the bomb – that's about it. All the extra plot bits involving Lyncort's wife are so unnecessary to the film. These scenes felt like little more than padding. And at less than 75 minutes in length, you must not have much of a plot if you need filler. What I liked and what elevated Terror on a Train's rating from being below average was the English countryside slice-of-life. I love this stuff. Sure, it felt like more filler, but it was enjoyable filler. The policeman making tea in the evacuated pub, the senile old man wanting to see the train, the old woman being evacuated from the hospital, the interesting 1950s era locations – that's what I enjoyed.
whpratt1
Enjoyed this 1953 film starring Glenn Ford, (Major Peter Lyncort) and his wife Janine Lyncort, (Ann Vernon). This film starts off with the production of many Sea Mines being manufactured in a factory during war time in England and placed on a great number of flat bed freight cars and covered up with canvas coverings. As these mines are in the freight yard a man is discovered leaving under one of these mines and hits a railroad policemen and escapes. The railroad police notify the local police and state officials and they try to stop this train before it explodes and destroys an entire town. The authorities discover there is a man named Major Peter Lyncort who is a U.S. Army bomb expert and they contact him to see if he can dismantle any bomb that might be placed on the Sea Mine train. There is a family problem developing between Major Lyncort and his wife Janine Lyncort, (Ann Vernon) who wants to leave her husband because she finds him very boring and is unhappy with her marriage. There is some very tense moments in this film and there is also some very funny humor with a very old English gentlemen named Old Charlie, (Herbert Walton) who loves trains and just so happens to want to ride on the train load of mines, which makes for some great English humor. Great film and very entertaining.
moggy-4
nice little suspense film about Ford looking for time bomb planted by a saboteur on an open rail car full of explosives, and they don't know what time it's set to explode. Nice plot idea, but a few quibbles- like what was the saboteur's motive? We are told nothing about him. And wouldn't they transport the explosives in a SEALED rail car, maybe even with guards??? And though all I know of defusing bombs comes from films and tv, isn't it done by a bomb **Squad**, not one man? ( who seems to have no official position) Was the British Army out of town?
Mattias
An enjoyable British thriller from the 1950s with an excellent supporting cast makes this well worth watching. But was it necessary to get an actor all the way from Hollywood? Glenn Ford always played himself, perhaps there could have been idea to have a more anonymous actor in the lead? The love story between Ford and Anne Vernon is unnecessary and does not add anything to the story.
AD
