The Train Killer (1983)

Good movie but grossly overrated

Good concept, poorly executed.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This movie is based upon the true story of Szilveszter Matuska, a man who derailed trains in 1930-1931 in Austria. His motive is uncertain. Some say it was political, others claim he was a religious fanatic (aka Christian terrorist) while he may have gotten paid. The film shows why there was confusion. In this drama Matuska (Michael Sarrazin) leases a quarry in order to have access to explosives.The film is foreign and dubbed. It has the look of a low budget foreign production. The train wrecks are not spectacular. The dubbing makes the acting look bad. The action and drama move a bit slow which is why they show you the ending of the film first then jump to the beginning, although that is not made clear until you see the same part played over. It is a film that could easily be redone and better. It is okay for an historical drama.Parental Guide: No f-bombs. Sex and nudity (Constanze Engelbrecht, Herlinde Latzko)

This movie came in a box of four CDs with four movies on each. A bargain at under $20 for all sixteen. The surprise is that many of them are quite good. If Hollywood's version of the Trojan War (vapid CGI, stars that can't act, gratuitous sex, ten years of war compressed into two weeks) leaves you disappointed, you might try fare like this --- well recommended by its lack of mass appeal.In this case.True story, strong conflicts, real motivations, real complexities, real trains. The first derailment is positively the real thing. If you ever wondered what a derailment might look like, then this is it. The final derailment off a bridge looks real too, although can't be sure. If it is a model it is way better than the crummy model-based train wreak in For Whom the Bell Tolls.If you ever wondered what life was like in eastern Europe in the thirties, here is a little window, better than the Sound of Music, in this regard.And you get a glimpse at train killer's motivations and techniques as well as the police's.

I've just wasted a few hours of my life watching this film. I expected more since it was based on actual events. Some of the acting is horrific and I'm almost positive I saw a guy reading a Q-card. The two twin sisters that own the hardware store are scary. They're more frightening than the "train killer". He didn't seem like such a bad guy! Every now and then he would get a little angry. Most of the characters didn't even speak with an accent. They sounded like Americans. I hated to see that steam engine go to waste on this movie. I can't encourage any one to take the time to view this film. Overall, it stank!!!!

This is a quality movie with quality dubbing based off of historical fact. While there may be multiple versions of this short movie (as a lot of people were uncredited in my VHS US dubbed version), the story is the same. Aside from one flashback sequence, to get the story going, the movie flows along wonderfully and logically. Historical dates, statements, and results are even given. AND, there is room for a sequel (Holloywoodinized of course). Yet being nearly 2 decades old, this movie is not well known. It is quality in a drama/thriller/mystery role and is recommended (if you can find it). viewed/owner on VHS