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Strangers

Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock&#8217;s <i >Strangers on a Trainc</i>, it goes off track in trying to be original.

Namrata Joshi

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I
went in for Strangers with a lot of trepidation and reserve, knowing that it had been inspired by an absolute favourite of mine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train. In retrospect, one must admit that the film is not entirely a copy. It essentially borrows the masterstroke of an idea from the original: that of exchange murders. It stays on course so long as it merrily rips off this element. However, the minute it tries to display an ounce of originality, it goes totally off track.

Two strangers, Kay Kay and Jimmy meet on a train. Both are residents of UK and both seem to be curiously lacking any families save their wives. And both are harassed by their women, Kay Kay’s has gone almost mad after the loss of a child and Jimmy’s is a philanderer or so he imagines. The only way out is to get rid of the women and they decide to exchange murders, one will bump off the wife of the other. So far so good. After this, the film disintegrates into yet another cliched tale of an extramarital affair with not even a wisp of a decent plot to hang itself strongly on. The chill in Hitchcock’s classic derived from the machinations of the deranged mind of Bruno (played brilliantly by Robert Walter), seen by many as a precursor to the demonic Norman Bates of Psycho. Hitchcock’s film held beautifully as a story about the relentlessness of evil. Strangers is devoid of any such depth or complexity. The homoerotic element of the original has no place here. Nor are there any truly memorable scenes, like the terrific tennis match shot or that of the fight on the carousel in the Hitchcock original. What keeps the film together for a while are some smart lines and a good give-and-take between efficient performers like Kay Kay and Jimmy. After a while, the linguistic smartness also makes way for sheer irritation with dialogue like: "Writing is like shitting, it’s all about taking out what’s bothering you inside." As for the women, well, Sonali mercifully has very little to do. Nandana Sen sports navel-revealing T-shirts which look more silly than sexy. The only thing that makes the film worth a watch is the interesting cinematography: the meticulous lighting, the painstakingly done close-ups redeem a failed attempt at story-telling.

High Fives

Bollywood

1. Dus Kahaniyaan
2. Om Shanti Om
3. Aaja Nachle
4. Jab we Met
5. Goal

Hollywood

1. I am Legend
2. Alvin and the Chipmunks
3. The Golden Compass
4. Enchanted
5. No Country for Old Men

Ringtones

1. Jingle Bells (Perry Como)
2. Crank That (Soulja Boy Tell’em)
3. We Wish U a Merry Christmas (Como)
4. Adios Amor Te Vas (Grupo De Derango)
5. Dance of the Sugar... (Tchaikovsky)

Courtesy: Film Information

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