Why did the police not suspect foul play?

Much as I love this film, I have always found the treatment of Dietrichson's death implausible. Walter hits him on the back of head. This blow would not resemble the injuries caused by him toppling a few feet from a slowly moving railcar. Surely even a cursory examination would have made the police suspicious? If he had fallen over the rail then the injury should be to the front of the skull.

Actually, according to Keyes, who is straight from the coroner's inquest, Dietrichson died of a "broken neck." The police figured that "he got tangled up in his crutches and fell on to the track," per Keyes. A man falling from a train moving 15 mph and hitting his head on a rail could easily break his neck, as well as causing head trauma. As Keyes sums up, "they're (the police) satisfied. After all, it isn't their dough [which will have to be paid out."]

I you like putting every frame under a microscope in search of flaws, you're going to find flaws, whether the film is 75 years old of just came out a few months ago.

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What exactly do injuries from a falling train look like? Without having knowledge provided by the film, what would have lead you to the conclusion of a homicide?

After an interview of the crew of the train, you would have learned that the passenger boarded the train and then went to the back observation car. There you would learn the Mr. Jackson was at the back and talked with Dietrichson and then went to his cabin to get him a cigar and returned and found that he was gone. Most likely the other Porters and/or passengers would tell you that no one else went to the back of the train between the time Jackson left and returned.

So who would have killed Dietrichson and why?

If Keyes and the police would have been suspicious of anyone, Jackson should have been the guy that they were looking at. Jackson shows very quickly that he's open to money (the cigars, the extra nights expense and coming back for a trial with expenses paid). He was the last person to see Dietrichson, which witnesses can attest to and we never really find out what he did when he came back with the cigar. They should have been looking into Jackson as having thrown Dietrichson off the back of the train.

After going hard at Jackson the police might not have been inclined or Keyes for that matter to look at other angles simply because Dietrichson didn't file a claim right away for his broken leg.

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Walter hits him on the back of the head? How do we know that? It is not shown. Nor is it described or discussed by Phyllis and Walter.


"It's Minnie Pearl's murder weapon."

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Doesn't Neff strangle Dietrichson? When the actual killing occurs Dietrichson makes a gurgling sound. This would also be consistent with him having a broken neck. Also consistent with him falling off the train head first. Only problems might be excessive bruising around the neck and Neff's fingerprints all over the crutches.

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Thank you. I was going to ask the same thing.

'Ne cherchez plus mon coeur, les bêtes l'ont mangé.' Baudelaire

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