An elderly English well-to-do writer, Mrs. Emily Delahunty (Maggie Smith), leaves her lovely home in the Umbrian hills for her monthly shopping trip via train. Her traveling compartments include an American couple and their charming young daughter, a young German man with his girlfriend, and a retired British military officer traveling with his daughter.
A sudden explosion in their compartment leaves four dead and the others with varying degrees of injury. Mrs. Delahunty invites the four to her villa to recuperate as they need to remain in Italy while Inspector Girotti (Giancarlo Giannini) continues the investigation.
The General (Ronnie Barker) has lost his daughter and suffered leg injuries. The young German (Benno Fürmann) lost his girlfriend and suffered severe burns to his arm. The precious child Aimee (Emmy Clarke) while sustaining no injuries to her body, has not not only been left an orphan by the bomb but also has become mute.
They are all released from hospital on the same day and are driven to the villa by Mrs. Delahunty's longtime driver-handyman-bookkeeper-confidante Quinty (Timothy Spall).
In the ensuing days, the survivors bond together and help each other through the difficult challenges and try to understand the reason for what appears to have been a terrorist attack on their train compartment. In time, the Italian officials find Aimee's American uncle (Chris Cooper), a childless and emotionally distant scientist who comes to claim the child.
Directed by Richard Loncraine for HBO-TV.
My personal rating: B
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