Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Leofwine_draca ROME EXPRESS is one of the earliest of all train-bound mystery thrillers and it's a little slow and creaky at times, although that's to be expected given that it was made back in 1932. A stolen Van Dyke painting is on board a train occupied by a motley group of strangers, and various parties are after it. The story is heavy on dialogue and light on action, but it picks up speed as it goes along and gets pretty good in the last half an hour. The cast is one of the most interesting things about it, as there is no one specific lead role. Hugh Williams is a decent young chap but up to his neck in it; familiar character actors like Cedric Hardwicke and Finlay Currie bolster the numbers. There are glamorous blonde film stars in the Mae West mould and a delightfully sinister turn from guest star Conrad Veidt. It's a light and forgettable kind of picture, but fun all the same.

mail-671 This is the great granddaddy of train portmanteau thrillers and Walter Forde,like Hitchcock, had a thing for trains - he even remade his now lost 1931 "The Ghost Train" and became a serious leading British Director. The production of Rome Express opened the large new Lime Grove(Gainsborough)studios in W London using two huge sets to accommodate both terminii & the impressive express. Conrad Veidt was a comparative newcomer to London from Germany escaping a future under the Nazis and stayed to make a number of other acclaimed 30s films like "Jew Suss" "Passing of the Third Floor Back" "Dark Journey" & "Under The Red Robe" until ending up at Denham with the Kordas. He loved Britain and loathed Hitler but this didn't stop his 40s performances as an assortment of nazi officials - "Escape" "Spy In Black" and,of course,"Casablanca". The popular Scottish actor,Finlay Currie played the same part in this and its almost shot-for-shot remake 15 years later at 70.He was probably best known as the convict,Magwitch, in the superb 1946 remake of "Great Expectations".

sol- Notable for being the pioneer of train-set mystery thriller films, this is nevertheless hardly the best, with characters that are run-of-the-mill and quite an ordinary little mystery plot that tires towards the end. Still, some of the stylist touches here are great. There is some effective panning and appropriately swift editing, plus the sound recording is brilliantly realistic, and with all elements combined, it really feels as if we are on a moving train. It is somewhat dated, not holding up as well as films like 'Murder on the Orient Express' and 'North by Northwest' do, but for what it is, it is fairly well made, and it is interesting to look at its influence on films that were later to come.

hamilton65 For a Brit flick of '32, this is surprisingly cinematic and stylish (and the granddaddy of train films) with excellent performances from Conrad Veidt, Cedric Hardwick, Finlay Currie and especially Donald Calthrop (best known as the squirming chiseller in "Blackmail") here an art thief on the run from partners Veidt and Williams.Directed by the underrated Walter Forde this is a smart Hitchcockian piece with a good deal of suspense and humour, distinguished by stylishly nimble camerawork and excellent production design. As other reviewers have pointed out it does show it's age at times, with slightly muffled sound quality but provided you have patience with this it's good entertainment, and an interesting glimpse of the how the British acted abroad in those days. Sidney Gilliat (of "the Lady Vanishes") had a hand in the writing and I could see themes and situations that would be developed further in future train movies.The suspense builds throughout as Calthrop contrives to avoid his former partners one of whom, Veidt (in fine clipped form), has vowed to kill him. The sequence where Calthrop is literally presented to them, to be part of five in a round of poker, is a study in forced smiles and friendliness. Calthrop can't stop winning, much to the amusement of Veidt and the consternation of the others.This is just the midway point of the film which also provides a great early part for Sir Cedric as a business magnet who appears philanthropic but in private is a stingy, deeply unpleasant individual, with little to differentiate him from the crooks. He is caught out though when his much abused underling discovers his dishonesty.All in all an excellent vintage thriller