Man on the Tracks (1956)

A train races through the night and then suddenly comes to a grinding halt because a man lies dead on the tracks. The man turns out to be an engine driver who had lost his job. Different characters who knew the dead man during his life take part in the investigation of his death, each relating their own interpretation of the man and his death. Was it suicide? Sabotage? Was he an eccentric? A regular Joe?

An interesting murder/mystery type of film worth watching

"Czlowiek na Torze" (Man on the Tracks) is a film about a mysterious death of a railroad worker killed by a train. The suspense of the movie revolves around the events that lead up to the death of the old conductor. We are left wondering if it was a suicide or murder as the investigators try to unravel the mystery.

Several stories and viewpoints are presented as they paint a picture of the man who was once in charge of the train that ran him over. On the one hand, the old conductor was not the most pleasant of fellows, being bossy and demanding; and on the other hand, his young crew saw him as an obstacle in their promotion. We get to sift though the details of their stories to find out what really happened.

To some degree, we are left with no one to clearly root for, as there is no clear hero or villain. But this should not be entirely surprising as we get to see several points of view, which obviously do not present any one person consistently favorable. Overall, "Czlowiek na Torze" is an interesting murder/mystery type of film worth watching.
March 9, 2006

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