Strangers on a Train

Alfred Hitchcock's tense psychological thriller based on Patricia Highsmith's novel of the same name, adapted to the screen by Raymond Chandler. Guy Haines (Farley Granger, who also starred in Hitchcock's Rope) is an amateur tennis star who plans to divorce his unfaithful wife Miriam (Kasey Rogers) so he can marry the beautiful Anne (Ruth Roman). He meets Bruno Anthony, a nosy interloper, on a train (played by Robert Walker, who died of accidental drug overdose not long after the film was released). After probing Guy's private life, Bruno proposes an exchange: that he kill Guy's cheating wife and, in return, Guy kill his father.

Guy flees the train apalled, but the ambiguous end to the conversation leads Bruno to think a deal has been struck. Bruno then upholds his end of the deal - murdering Miriam - and becomes mad when Guy won't return the favour. As Bruno begins to plot his revenge, Anne and Guy must do what they can to stop him framing Guy for Miriam's murder.

Strangers on a Train features signature Hitchcock set pieces, such as the tennis watching scene where all heads are following the ball - except Bruno's, who stares straight ahead at Guy. A strong homosexual sub-text runs through the film, with the director claiming he edited a less "seductive" version of the film for American audiences. 

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