Mystery Train
A wistful, deadpan triptych follows strangers and local eccentrics whose rock-and-roll pilgrimage converges in a haunted Memphis hotel.
Overview
A night in Memphis weaves together the lives of four strangers, each searching for something lost.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- deadpan
- wistful
- melancholic
- late night viewing
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's eccentric humor, restrained dialogue, ensemble performances, cinematography, and inventive interlocking structure, while some found its cool bohemian style repetitive or emotionally distant.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Three titled episodes follow different visitors and Memphis locals whose paths converge around the Arcade Hotel during one night.
Sun Studio, Graceland, Elvis mythology, and decaying Memphis spaces give the city a ghostly emotional presence.
Japanese rock pilgrims, an Italian widow, and British and American residents share disconnected experiences in Memphis.
The single-night setting, dry dialogue, boozy misadventures, and eccentric characters create Jarmusch's subdued comic register.
Films like Mystery Train, and why
Stranger Than Paradise
deadpan humor, interwoven encounters, and offbeat outsiders in an American landscape
Night on Earth
episodic structure, nocturnal urban atmosphere, and eccentric cross-cultural character encounters
Down by Law
music-centered Americana, wistful outsiders, and understated comic melancholy
The Last Waltz
romanticized popular music culture, eccentric travelers, and bittersweet regional atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Jim Jarmusch
- Release Date
- 1989-09-06
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (538)
Cast
- Youki Kudoh
- Masatoshi Nagase
- Screamin' Jay Hawkins
- Cinqué Lee
- Nicoletta Braschi
- Elizabeth Bracco
- Joe Strummer
- Rick Aviles
- Steve Buscemi
- Tom Noonan
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Mystery Train about?
- A wistful, deadpan triptych follows strangers and local eccentrics whose rock-and-roll pilgrimage converges in a haunted Memphis hotel.
- What is Mystery Train like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mystery Train as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Mystery Train violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Mystery Train as mild.
- What did critics think of Mystery Train?
- Critics broadly praised the film's eccentric humor, restrained dialogue, ensemble performances, cinematography, and inventive interlocking structure, while some found its cool bohemian style repetitive or emotionally distant.
- Which films are like Mystery Train?
- Films with a similar feel include Stranger Than Paradise, Night on Earth, Down by Law, and The Last Waltz.
- How long is Mystery Train?
- Mystery Train runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Mystery Train?
- In United States, Mystery Train streams on Criterion Channel.
