The Train (1964)
John Frankenheimer's excellent WWII drama starring Burt Lancaster as a railwayman attempting to prevent a slightly unhinged Nazi officer (Paul Schofield) pillaging art treasures from France and transporting them via rail to Berlin as the Allies advance draws near.
Frankenheimer's direction is flawless, allowing the story to build from something slight into a gripping race against time. The French locations are used superbly and the fact real trains were also used really adds to events making this seem like a grander scaled film than it actually is. The action is staged brilliantly, in particular a bombing raid on a rail yard and a train derailment which you could tell was done for real. If you want to know how well it's staged then think how good the car chase is in Frankenheimer's French Connection and imagine it as a bombing raid and train derailment.
Euro horror fans night be interested in seeing Doctor Mabuse himself, Wolfgang Preiss, in a large role as well as Jess Franco regular Howard Vernon.
More true story than boys own action adventure. I highly recommend this.
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