- Actors: Masatoshi Nagase, Youki Kudoh, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Cinqué Lee, Rufus Thomas
- Directors: Jim Jarmusch
- Writers: Jim Jarmusch
- Producers: Demetra J. MacBride, Hideaki Suda, Jim Stark, Kunijiro Hirata, Rudd Simmons
- Format: PAL
- Language English, Italian, Japanese
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 15
- Studio: MGM
- DVD Release Date: 28 April 2003
- Run Time: 110 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00008OP6P
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 63,351 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
I don't think that Jim Jarmusch has ever made a bad film, sure Dead Man in the wrong mood is a bit dull & Year of the Horse is only appealing if you find epic guitar solos played by grizzled 50somethings appealing, but he more than warrants his place in US cinema.
Mystery Train was the follow-up to his early works, the student feature Permanent Vacation (once shown on Channel4, who like to show repeats of Graham Norton now instead), 1984's debut proper Stranger Than Paradise & its follow-up Down By Law- which was another joy featuring Tom Waits & Roberto Benigni.
Mystery Train is a film that few appear to be aware of- facets such as it's structure, the quirky fools who occur, the ghost of Elvis & its hotel locale will be familiar to viewers of Tarantino's True Romance and (especially) Pulp Fiction. Here we get three stories set in Memphis, the film beginning with the arrival of a train & ending with its departing to the classic Elvis song of the same name. Story #1 sees Jarmusch employ his love of world cinema- looking at Memphis through Foreign eyes, we follow a Japanese couple (Masatoshi Nagase & Youki Kudoh) as they come to the home of Elvis. They visit Sun studios, argue about who was more important: Elvis or Carl Perkins, smoke cigarettes & eventually arrive at a sleazy downtown hotel (where the night clerk & bellboy are Screamin' Jay Hawkins & Cinque Lee- who connect the stories). They then settle in for the night, an almost surreal scene occurs where Nagase puts on his girlfiend's make-up. & later, a shot rings out...
The second story is like an inversion of Billy Wilder's Avanti, Benigni's wife Nicoletta Braschi plays an Italian window transporting her husband's body home- having to stay for a night in Memphis, she is grifted for a shaggy dog story about Elvis as a ghost-hitchhiker, prior to coming across a slighted girlfriend of a character from the third story- they both decide to split a room in the same downtown hotel, where the ghost of Elvis appears and a shot rings out...
Finally the third story sees the wonderful Steve Buscemi go to the aid of his sister's jilted boyfriend- played by the late, great Joe Strummer. There are some knowing references to Strummer's Elvis hairstyle & him being a Brit & along with Rufus Thomas, the three go on an adventure that leads to armed robbery, that leads to a hotel where a shot will ring out & the stories all converge...
Mystery Train is an excellent film, another of Jarmusch's great films fit to stand next to his early work & such later joys as Night on Earth, Dead Man & Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai. Added to that, the soundtrack has a great version of 'I've Put a Spell On You' by Tom Waits. There's a difference between Tarantino & Jarmusch- the former is just an imitator, the latter is a pioneer. This film demonstrates why...
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a perfect film. Darkly funny, great direction, understated, wonderful lighting, sublime music, excellent performances. And the Japanese and Italian dialogue IS subtitled. Ignore the reviewer who claimed the DVD does not have subtitles in English. He also said he had not bought it, so how can we trust the reviewer's judgment? Go buy, you'll not regret it.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
From the second Amtracks' Texas Eagle comes curving along the line, to the sound of perhaps "The King" greatest Sun City recording, you know your in for real slice authentic Americana. What you don't expect is just how darkley funny and absoubing haunting this "Mystery" journey into Americas' deep south underbelly actually is. An unwelcoming neon lit,run down Hotel in an equally seedy Memphis suburb brings together the lives and stories of two Japanesse tourists, hoplessly out of place, Sreaming Jay Hawkins, Joe Strummer and the always brilliant Steve Buscemi to wonderful effect. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Jarmusch's best film, in my humble opinion
I'm not much of a fan of Jim Jarmusch, but 1989's Mystery Train (his fourth film and first one in color) is quite engaging in they way it tells three minimalist stories occurring... Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2008 by Andres C. Salama
Uninspired
This film tried to be cute and ironic but it falls short on the cuteness and the irony was never more than facile. Read more
Published on 27 July 2008 by Baby Blue
Buyer beware: Brilliant film, duff DVD release (version)
I've amended this review slightly since first writing it, see the footnote below, but I'm leaving it otherwise as was, for reasons I hope readers will understand. Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2005 by Sebastian Palmer
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