In 1944, Kay and Jane travel on an overnight train from Miami to New York, accompanied by Harry. Kay is the mistress of “The Man”, a rich industrialist, whom they are to meet so that they can help entertain an important general. Red, a young paratrooper on leave, picks up Kay in the club car, while his buddy Kelly goes off with Jane. Kay assumes she will not see Red again, but Jane gives Kelly their New York address. Kay is smitten with Red as they spend the day in New York, and Red invites her to meet him on the evening train to visit his family. —IMDb
Sidney Lumet (born June 25, 1924) is an American film director, with over 50 films to his name, including 12 Angry Men (1957), Serpico (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) and The Verdict (1982), all of which, except for Serpico (1973), earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director.
According to The Encyclopedia of Hollywood, Lumet is one of the most prolific directors of the modern era making more than one movie per year on average since his directorial debut in 1957. He is especially noted for his ability to draw major actors to his projects. “Because of his visual economy, strong direction of actors, vigorous storytelling and use of the camera to accent themes,” states Turner Classic Movies. “Lumet produced a body of work that could only be defined as extraordinary.”
One of his steady themes during his career has been the “fragility of justice and the police and their corruption,” according to Thomson’s Biographical Dictionary of Film. He can deliver… read more
An interestingly unorthodox opening sequence unfortunately paves way to something much less interesting. This romantic drama proves to be a somewhat stilted affair thereafter, with a cast that perform well individually (Sophia Loren being the stand-out) but don’t have any chemistry collectively, on top of a narrative that’s a bit of a mess and an overall sense of blandness permeating the production.