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Night Train to Lisbon

Night Train to Lisbon

Mystery · Romance · Thriller · 2013

Raimund Gregorius, having saved a beautiful Portuguese woman from leaping to her death, stumbles upon a mesmerizing book by a Portuguese author, which compels him to suddenly abandon the boring life he has led for years and to embark on an enthralling adventure. In search of the author, Gregorius acts as detective, pulling together pieces of a puzzle that involves political and emotional intrigue and the highest possible stakes. His voyage is one that transcends time and space, delving into the realms of history, medicine and love, all in search of true meaning to his life.

Movie details

Night Train to Lisbon

“Only when you are lost can you truly find yourself”

2013 Mystery · Romance · Thriller 1h 51m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.8 / 10

21.5K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

41 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

30 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

Raimund Gregorius, having saved a beautiful Portuguese woman from leaping to her death, stumbles upon a mesmerizing book by a Portuguese author, which compels him to suddenly abandon the boring life he has led for years and to embark on an enthralling adventure. In search of the author, Gregorius acts as detective, pulling together pieces of a puzzle that involves political and emotional intrigue and the highest possible stakes. His voyage is one that transcends time and space, delving into the realms of history, medicine and love, all in search of true meaning to his life.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Night Train to Lisbon?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Bille August

Written by

Greg Latter · Ulrich Herrmann

Jeremy Irons

Jeremy Irons

Raimund

Mélanie Laurent

Mélanie Laurent

Young Estefania

Jack Huston

Jack Huston

Amadeu

Martina Gedeck

Martina Gedeck

Mariana

Tom Courtenay

Tom Courtenay

Older João Eca

August Diehl

August Diehl

Young Jorge O'Kelly

Bruno Ganz

Bruno Ganz

Older Jorge O'Kelly

Court is in session

Put Night Train to Lisbon on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.