Throw Momma from the Train 4K 1987 Ultra HD 2160p

The film tells the story of two very different men who find themselves in similar situations. Larry Donner is a writer who currently teaches creative writing classes. Ned Lift, nicknamed “Little Ned,” is one of his students. Each man has his own problem:

Larry was married but is now divorced. His ex-wife Margaret stole the idea for a book from him, and it became a bestseller. And Ned lives with his mother, whom he can’t stand because she treats him like a little boy and constantly tells him what to do.

Larry and Ned simply want to solve their problems—as they see it—by killing the people who are getting in their way. But killing family members is awkward for both of them, so they decide to swap murders.

User Review

If Danny DeVito takes matters into his own hands, you can be sure you won’t be seeing a run-of-the-mill—let alone a boring—movie. No, of course, DeVito, like any actor—even a very talented one—has his creative missteps, but only as an actor. When DeVito takes on the task of writing a screenplay or directing a film himself, a masterpiece is bound to emerge. Just think of *The War of the Roses* or *Death to Smut!* ‘Throw Mom Off the Train’ is the brilliant little man’s directorial debut—a debut that not every acclaimed master of cinema would be worthy of.

‘Throw Mom from the Train’ is, by its title and form, a thrillingly sharp thriller, especially since the film is indeed loosely based on Hitchcock’s famous thriller ‘Strangers on a Train’. In terms of content, however, the film is an excellent black comedy, rising in some scenes to the level of high-class parody, a feat capable of only Brooks and the Zucker brothers.

That said, this film features the Zuckers’ biting satire, Brooks’ dark humor, Allen’s subtle irony, Hitchcock’s suspense, and just about everything else under the sun, because this is a Danny DeVito film, which proves at least three things: 1. Being short doesn’t prevent a person from being a brilliant actor and an amazing director at the same time 2. The thriller framework is no obstacle to creating one of the funniest comedies of the decade 3. There’s nothing worse than killing the people we hate the most.

The film grabs you from the very first frames—that’s when you start laughing. You don’t stop laughing even when the end credits roll, because De Vito and Crystal keep firing off joke after joke—jokes that, had the comedy been more famous and had it been released in our theaters, would have been on everyone’s lips long ago. The film is filled with magical humor; every scene practically makes you roar with laughter, however, the humor is quite dark—DeVito mocks (specifically mocks, not laughs, and not with irony or derision) family values, the issues between fathers (and mothers) and children, writers’ creative crises, creativity in general, and much more.

Moreover, Danny DeVito has placed the emphasis in his film in such a way that, despite the fact that the characters talk about murder all the time, constantly attempt it, and want to kill the people closest to them—their mother and wife— they remain likable, charming, and funny, whereas the mother and wife are such repulsive characters that you don’t even notice how you start cheering on Crystal’s or DeVito’s character—‘Come on, come on! Kill her! Go on, go on!’

This is the feeling the great comedian awakens in us with laughter. It’s not a funny feeling, but aside from DeVito, no one else in American cinema (except Allen) knows how to laugh like this at murder, death, mothers, family ties, and so on. Blasphemy? Not at all. It’s just that when it comes to laughter, DeVito knows no bounds.

Of course, DeVito couldn’t resist starring in his own debut film. It’s one of his best roles. He plays a dim-witted, childishly naive wimp who is terrified of his mother and secretly dreams of killing her, but can’t bring himself to take that step.

Every attempt by DeVito to kill his mom, or his even more clumsy attempts to kill his friend’s wife, are full-blown clown acts; in these scenes, his face looks like that of a five-year-old who’s deliberately about to soil his pants. He can talk seriously about murdering his own mother, and then immediately stare in awe at a huge poster of Billy Crystal—an actor who is more intelligent, never plays the buffoon, and is very funny in the role of a grotesque, failed writer whose books and ideas are constantly being stolen, while he hates his wife and, of course, dreams of killing her, though he isn’t capable of killing even a mouse.

Two naive and hapless losers drag each other into the most idiotic detective adventure that could possibly happen, and it turns out to be pure farce. But both DeVito and Crystal pale in comparison when the mother-in-law, played by Ann Ramsey, appears on screen. I’ve never seen a more terrifying woman! The Terminator, an army of orcs, a herd of wild elephants, and a raging grizzly bear couldn’t express the hatred this sweet little lady feels for everything around her.

Not even Jim Carrey, Louis de Funès, and Rowan Atkinson combined could portray this gaunt, perpetually dissatisfied, spiteful face!
No Quasimodo, no Grinch, no Freddy Krueger could match the character of this terrifying creature, whom God (if it was Him) apparently created while in a foul mood. Anne Ramsey is magnificent.

I’d never even heard of this actress before, but here she simply shines; every time she appears, it’s a wave of revulsion mixed with laughter and the urge to kill her myself. You feel less intense but no less “warm” feelings toward the smug, pompous, lying whore of a wife to the hero Crystal, played by Kate Mulgry.

The film was very popular in the ’80s, raked in a huge box office haul, and don’t believe the title—it’s a very kind, warm, and tender film. At times, it’s downright tear-jerking to watch the touching love this, at first glance, terrifying nanny has for her little son... Believe it? Ha-ha, of course, expect sentimentality from DeVito! How does that cartoon go? “Don’t you need a crocodile?” In short, instead of a “first pancake” that always turns out lumpy, DeVito didn’t just make a solid film—he created a true masterpiece of comedy.

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (98.6 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Info Audio

#English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
#English: FLAC 2.0

Info Subtitles