The Train (1964)

Plot:  In August 1944,  the Germans try to transport Art masterpieces from Paris to Nazi Germany. The French Resistance tries to stop them.
Stars:  Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, Jeanne Moreau
Best Quote: A painting means as much to you as a string of pearls to an ape. You won by sheer luck. You stopped me without knowing what you were doing or why.... The paintings are mine. They always will be. Beauty belongs to the man who can appreciate it. They will always belong to me, or a man like me. 

The Train is one the best WW2 action movies and we can thank Lancaster for it.   He replaced Director Arthur Penn with John Frankenheimer and turned a turgid art/war drama into a slam-bang action movie. Shot in a semi-documentary,  gritty/beautiful B&W, there's no CGI here, all the train crashes and explosions are real. For example, the Allied bombing of a rail yard was accomplished with real dynamite!

The plot is simple
Can Lancaster stop Scofield from getting the Art to Germany? Some have criticized the "slow start" but I didn't feel that - at all.  There is some "Is the art worth all these lives?" talk,  but mostly the Art is the McGuffin - driving the action.  Overall, the direction is brilliant.

Acting
Except for Lancaster, who's not much of a Frenchman,  the casting is impeccable. Scofield is excellent as the ruthless, art loving, German Colonel and the supporting German/French actors are equally good. They aren't given much to do, but they do it very well.  We shouldn't forget the Trains either.  They're photographed so often, they're practically co-stars.

Burt Lancaster
This is one of Lancaster's better roles. Despite playing a Frenchman, this is "Action Star Burt" - not "Serious Dramatic Burt". He runs, he leaps, he  falls off trains, and tangles with the German Guards. And Lancaster was smart enough to skip the French Accent and his character - athletic, tough, and laconic - fits him like a glove.  His scenes with the Jeanne Moreau are excellent as he shows the necessary war weariness and gritty, working-class attitude.

Summary:  One of my favorite Burt Lancaster movies.  An excellent war movie. Its a fictional story but feels realistic. Probably action fans and train buffs will appreciate it most.