Customer Reviews

Mystery Train (Widescreen)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I saw this movie in the theatre many years ago, there were English subtitles during the foreign language scenes. However, the DVD version does not offer English subtitles. It does offer French and Spanish subtitles.

This simple movie is great! It really brings you in and tells a great story of three parties crossing paths in downtrodden Memphis.

The story of the Japanese couple was an excellent way to show America through the eyes of a foreigner. I almost felt like a stranger in my own country. The scenes with the local lowlifes were the movie's weaker points, but they were still good. "Son, I'm the man who's gonna make you use that gun."

Definitely worth purchasing for repeat viewings if you're a film afficianado. If you are into more mainstream films, rent it first.

-- JJ Timmins

I think this film is quite good, but I disagree with the basic slant on it taken by the editor and the other customer reviews. I think this film is at least as much dark satire as it is celebration of the Elvis 'legacy'.
Jarmusch understands that comedy, the comic, is always rooted in irony and extreme contrast. But because it is rooted in irony, in contradiction, it is also never far away from nightmare. From beginning to end this beautiful little film overflows with ironies, harsh contrasts, comedy, and looming nightmare. People who don't grasp Jarmusch's deep feel for the proximity of comedy and nightmare call his style 'quirky'. But for Jarmusch this quirkiness is a dominant characteristic of the human condition, not merely an idiosyncrasy of his own.
To begin with consider the major inclusive contradiction that the entire film is set in, namely, that between the glory and wealth normally associated with Elvis and Graceland and the run down, trashed, Memphis that the film places us in. Jarmusch sets up the viewer by beginning with the very upbeat feel of the moving train and young Elvis singing the title song. From the first frames of the young Japanese couple on the train we know that they are going to Graceland and everything associated with that place immediately comes emotionally to mind. But Jarmusch deliberately drives against this mental/emotional current by leading us into a Memphis that feels more like a ghetto than the dream-home of our hero. From there the ironies just become continually more dense and subtle. By the time we reach the segment involving the gun-toting Britisher nicknamed 'Elvis', we are very close to a hell-world with only comedy to protect us from feeling its full impact. Clearly the legendary, fantasy Elvis that haunts every corner of this dark, shabby, sad, little world of Memphis is as oppressive and exploitative as it is liberating. When these two contradicting aspects collide it creates comedy in the film, but it creates comedy only because we don't want to deal directly with the darker aspects of the whole Elvis phenomenon involving racism, economic exploitation, consumer manipulation, etc. To see this film as a merely quirky, though skillful, tribute to the Elvis legacy is to miss its rich deeper layers. But then to see this one must be willing to acknowledge that Jarmusch might have something negative to say about the Elvis phenomenon and certain other aspects of americana. But whatever one's take on the film may be, I think that it must at least be admitted that Jarmusch probably had a good reason for mixing these extremes of dark and light, I mean a better reason than mere quirkiness. But the film stimulates a great deal of thought and felling and I recommend it highly to anyone interested in genuinely creative American cinema.

Jim Jarmusch hit the nail on the head with this film. I happened to come across it years ago while browsing in a video store. I was so captivated by it, I went out and rented another VCR so I could dub the copy of it on to a VHS tape. Perhaps that will shed some light on how good this movie is. Perhaps.

I now have it on DVD and, since purchasing it, have watched it repeatedly. This movie sucks you in and never lets you go from the very opening shot. The cinematography, the dialogue, the direction...all are simply amazing. The humor too...it's a level of humor that is never loud or brash or "in your face." It's a witty sense of humor and it fits perfectly.

Another thing that bears mentioning is the cast. The actors are amazing. Screamin' Jay, Joe Strummer, et al. All are just incredible.

Definitely check this movie out. It has a very "Night on Earth" feel to it, if you've seen that movie. Basically four different story-lines, all inter-woven and inter-related, that sort of all come together in the end. Things happen from one point of you (i.e., the Japanese tourists hearing the gun shot while in the hotel room), then later you see what has happened from the other individual's point of view (i.e. the gun shot "victim"). Maybe that's done nothing but confused you, but take my word (for what it's worth) that it all comes together perfectly.

I'm certain you will enjoy this one. Also, Tom Waits fans take note...you'll get to hear him in this flick. As an aside, I mentioned "Night on Earth"....if you like Tom Waits, get that movie as well.

Enjoy kiddies.

I saw MYSTERY TRAIN in London, back in January 1990. I'd heard about the film before I left the US, but knew it would never play in my home town. I was glad to have the opportunity to see this, and many other wonderful films, during my stay in London. As a "foreigner" in a strange, yet strangely familiar, country I immediately connected with the three tales in MT. Of course, I didn't have the language obstacles the characters have in the film, but I could understand their awe and curiosity about every little thing. Besides that, I felt lucky to be exposed to Jarmusch's style and his filmic vision. I would also see DOWN BY LAW while I was there, and later, while back in the States, Jarmusch's first classic STRANGER THAN PARADISE. MT remains my favorite of the "stranger in a strange land" trilogy, due in no small part to my first exposure to Steve Buscemi. MT is an original, as is Jarmusch. For more of him see his other DVDs as well as his turn as a fisherman in FISHING WITH JOHN.

'Mystery Train' is a strange little film that definitely has a certain amount of charm. Three very different groups of people (a Japanese couple, an Italian woman, and a British man) all converge on Memphis for very different reasons. All three stories interconnect and it's interesting to see how they all work together. The entire film is a look at how Memphis and Elvis are such strong and pervasive institutions, they almost become characters themselves. The film could have taken place anywhere, but Memphis is a special place, even if most of the film is set in a run-down part of town. The energy is still there. The performances are very good, if restrained and subdued a bit. If you are looking for something a little different, this could be your movie.

Jim Jarmusch, Elvis, Joe Strummer, Steve Buscemi, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins. That is a portion of the cast, and enough for price of admission. The way Jarmusch captures Memphis is impressive. Altman did something similar about LA with ShortCuts. You get a taste of the city. You can almost smell it.

Tom Waits wieghs in as a late night DJ and gives a convincing arguement for Elvis's Blue Moon as one of the all time, late night driving tunes.

What "Mystery Train" gives us a dandy, light slice of indie noir. Here, three tales in a broken-down hotel. One about an Italian widow. Second, about a corrupt British Elvis impersonator and his American girlfriend. And lastly, about two Japanese tourists.

What makes "Mystery Train" so interesting and involving is the way the characters are portrayed and how they react to certain things. Example: The Italian widow speaking to the ghost of Elvis.

But it's Jarmusch's directing that makes this quirky, funny, and touching, which should have won him an Oscar for "Best Independent Film of the Year." Sumptuous, funny, touching, and offbeat, it's a delight from start to finish.

Rated R for language and some nudity.

Yes, there are english subtitles on the 3rd and 4th subtitle channels. BUT...and here's the rub. I'm pretty sure, the subtitles are not accurate and the subtlety of Jarmusch's dialogue is ruined. Some of the humour is not there.

I saw this movie for a schoolassignment, and therefor was forced to see it a couple of times in a row, it kept getting better. it's not a fast actionpacked movie but a slow well thought picture, I'm not a movie wizzard but I like them and this one is sooooo cool.