I have found the book “Strangers on a Train” by Patricia Highsmith to be quite amusing. It is an intriguing tale of two men partnered to murder the others target so that neither gets caught as no motives are present. The tale is a gruesome one and is shows a dysfunctional society on every level. Murder, unfaithfulness in a married couple, wanting to kill family members, it is all completely foreign to most readers (hopefully) which is why has caught my attention the way it has. However, based upon previous exposure to a similar but different story, I can appreciate this book on a more comical level by comparing it to a very similar tale.
The movie, Throw Momma from the Train directed by Danny DeVito, tells of a similar tale inspired by Patricia Highsmith’s “Strangers on a Train”. However, instead of the men killing the other’s father and current wife, they want to kill an abusive mother and an ex-wife whom has plagued one of the “would be Guy” with writers block. The movie goes on to showed comical failed attempts of murder and situations that the main characters come across while try to hold up their respective ends of the deal. After viewing the movie, roughly 5 years ago, Bruno’s first impression on me had been tainted. I still envision him as the very short angry man that Danny DeVito is when he plays the role of Bruno in his more modern american comedy. Throw Momma from the Train has definitely impacted the way I view Patricia Highsmith’s book.