I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

I read the novel in Japanese translation in 2015 and have watched the film only recently, that is in the fall of 2016. Just about a good long time for a Raimund Gregorius character to grow in my mind. Adaptation of the literature, delicately weaved with two languages i.e. originally written in German with Portuguese quotes everywhere, must have been a lot of hard work. Given that, I reckon that this film adaptation was masterfully done. I was intrigued, like I was in the novel, into the thick narratives of Gregorius. Sadly, however, one critical element I had enjoyed in the novel was completely missing in the film: luxury of experience, though Gregorius, being left alone in the vast void of ignorance of the Portuguese language. Throughout the story, Gregorius struggled with the Portuguese language in the novel, while in the film, everyone speaks in English. Having said that, the film's visualization was amazing. I was amusingly impressed by the magic of colors, and a skillful camera work to capture the beauty of the historic town. Needless to say, perhaps, performances are superb. Screenplay were tactful enough to convey the multiple layers of the novel in a way not to confuse the audiences. If you are reading this, I recommend you to enjoy the film first, and then to pick up the novel. I bet you won't regret it.

I am angry with at least six thousand of you who voted less than 7 (the minimum I normally have time to watch) and caused me delay in finding this wonderful film. Maybe I should submine the IMDb database so that I can cross-reference your votes on other films and generate my own ratings in a numberscape void of your numbscape. That said, I can now begin my review. It is often said that a film is usually inferior to the book on which it is based. And whereas this tendency is almost a de facto weakness, such films must be made at all costs, because films that are not based on any book tend on average to be worse. In this case, the skill of the original novelist explodes early on screen as the words of a fictitious novel that is central to the plot. There is an old joke, 'what is the difference between heaven and hell?' that compares the weaknesses and strengths of different European nationals. For example, in heaven the Italians are the lovers and the Swiss are the bankers and in hell the roles are reversed. Having lived in Switzerland, I have to disagree with such stereotypes. And indeed, this story does a good job in exploding such myths, for the central character is Swiss and while demonstrating a quiet, deferential manner, reveals increasingly the intense passion he feels as the story unfolds, as indeed it does for the viewer, who should I would hope empathise to some degree.It is almost a rule of novel-writing that a story be told in the words of its characters. Films rarely manage to include the unspoken words, but this masterpiece uses many clever tricks to work around that problem seamlessly, that is to say, without exposing the inner workings of the writer's kitchen.The story begins in Bern where a teacher on his way to school encounters a Portuguese woman about to kill herself and who has also dropped a book on the ground. And from there all the way to the end and actually beyond, the film jumps headfirst into the depths of mystery. The teacher (Irons) follows a trail of clues laid out in the book from Bern to Lisbon, unfolding a story from the past of romance and revolution underpinned by eloquent passages of philosophical thought. I say that instead of philosophy, because they are very different things. A philosopher is a person who seeks answers to questions about fundamental laws and the human condition, whereas philosophy is the bureaucracy of categorizing such answers without understanding them beyond a level too superficial to be called philosophical.Needless to say, it was the words of Amadeu, the fictional writer at the centre of this story that lifted me to such a philosophical level. I cannot recall watching a film quite like it!Of course it helps to have a superstar cast which also was not apparent from the IMDb header! One either has to read the whole cast list or watch the film to realise how many heavy hitters are hiding in there!

Don't be put off by critics who thought "Night Train to Lisbon" was old-fashioned, too talky and lacking in tension, because there is something unique about this movie; by the end, it's quite an experience.Raimund Gregorius, played by Jeremy Irons in his slightly detached manner, is a teacher in Switzerland. When he saves the life of a woman, she disappears leaving behind a small book written by a man named Amadeu do Prado, and a train ticket to Lisbon. Raimund becomes intrigued by the insightful writings of Amadeu, who has since died. Admittedly, all this setting up of the story is pretty contrived, but the important thing in the plot was to get Raimund on that journey to discover more about Amadeu.He meets many people who knew Amadeu including his sister played by Charlotte Rampling, always an intriguing screen presence, she still seems to get plenty of roles with absolutely no loss of mystique. As Raimund delves deeper and deeper into the story of Amadeu, and his relationship with revolutionaries during the Salazar regime in Portugal, he becomes aware that much is missing from his own life.Amadeu's story is told through extensive flashbacks, with younger actors playing the parts of the older storytellers - maybe it's this element that some thought outmoded. Flashback was a technique beloved of film noir where we even had flashbacks within flashbacks. The structure of "Night Train to Lisbon" is not unlike 1944's "The Mask of Dimitrios". Although the plots are different, that old film was also about someone who becomes intrigued by the life of another man, mainly through the memories of others. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples.It wasn't until near the end that I realised "Night Train to Lisbon" had similarities not so much to old movies, but to a much older story: Raimund is inspired by the wisdom and profound sayings of a man who seemed better than other men, who spoke out against evil, became a healer and saves the life of a man whom he had every right to think of as an enemy. Finally, Raimund's journey has become more of a pilgrimage, and through the inspiration of Amadeu, he develops a more positive outlook on life.Although not exactly blinded on the road to Damascus, Raimund does seem to have an epiphany on the train to Lisbon. I don't know if the author of the novel, Pascal Mercier, intended such a religious parallel, but the script would have been too heavy-handed for any of the characters to have made that connection; it has power if the audience finds it for themselves.If a movie doesn't grab me, I can forget nearly everything about it by the next day, however I must admit this one has stayed with me. It's a film that gets you thinking.

This is one terrific movie, I liked it so much, I will buy the DVD. Jeremy Irons is an excellent actor and does not disappoint in this very cerebral film. The philosophy quotes from the small book supposedly written by Amadeus are spellbinding, makes me want to get the book! Irons appears as an absent minded professor, in what he describes later as his 'boring' life as a professor of history and language. As a teacher he does not have to relate to others deeply, as each year the students changed, but when he saves the girl from jumping off the bridge, takes her to his class during which she disappears, leaving her coat behind. Irons then tries to find her and to trace a book that he finds in her coat pocket, this spurs him to find the girl and the author, Amadeus. Charlotte Rampling as always gives just the most perfect performance in her role as the grieving sister of Amadeus. I love the way the questions Irons asks to each of the players in this drama goes into the past, to their younger selves trying to explain their role as rebels in the war. Irons persistence gets the whole story. I love British actors and this movie is a testament to their excellence the story, worthy of them. I hope to see more of this in the future.😃🎓