Transsiberian (2008)

If you believe Americans deserve a happy ending because even if they're stupid, they're true believers, and they're on the right side of moral values-- then you can stomach the twists and turns of the plot. After all, it started off with potential. It's got honest-to-goodness Russian scenery on a real Russian train. Yes, there probably is international narcobusiness on the Transsiberian, corrupt police, rude conductors. But it's all a bit over the top.

There are very good actors. Ben Kingsley is above reproach. Woody Harrelson is right on target as an oafish Iowan abroad. But why would his wife spill out her story to a stranger on a train if it were not that the screenplay needed enough back-story for an implausible relationship? And isn't it suspicious that the Spanish hunk is the evil tempter, ergo the only character responsible for his misdeeds? And violent torture is the specialty of the Russian mob, so even when they realize they're dealing with mere dupes, they must literally extract their pound of flesh?

Fmovies: A handful of familiar plot elements (all used effectively by Hitchcock, so let's not look down our noses here) is vividly drawn in a great location. We're not on Amtrak and the more perilous side of American's traveling in distant lands is beautifully rendered by the director Brad Anderson and sensational cinematography by Xavier Giménez.

However, it's the cast that takes this from something routine to something very unsettling. Emily Mortimer gives a fine performance as a woman trapped by her past. She does more with this role than perhaps was written and finally cinches her place as an actress you can count on. Two supporting roles, Eduardo Noriega being a great predatory villain who sees a mark in Emily Mortimer's character and plays her for all she's worth. At his side is an unsettling performance by Kate Mara, who with less to say makes a very vivid impression as a girl who's both mysterious and sympathetic.

Woody Harrelson stumbles, but he's always interesting to watch. His character doesn't belong in this film (which is almost the point of the movie) but he plays naive closer to dumb (or dumber). And we understand why Mortimer may be frustrated with her marriage, but it's halfway through the film that lots of beans are spilled about her past and everything we've seen and will see is dead on and convincing.

Less convincing is the plot which isn't up to the level of the other elements. I'm not sure in a real world these characters would have faired as well as they do or nearly so long.

Ben Kingsley shows up and works fine as someone who may be the lifeline to our travelers, but as the action heats up too many things require answers that the plot doesn't have time (or the audience much interest) in figuring out.

Yet it's one of the better films this summer. And if you don't like what's going on with the plot, you can always look at the exotic frozen Lithuanian scenery, or the shadows of fear the Emily Mortimer sends across her face tingling up our own spines. Terrific performance.

Just screened this great film at Sundance 2008 and came away very pleased with the experience. It appears that Director Brad Anderson has successfully created a modern thriller worthy of attention. The backdrop of this film is the wondrous Transsiberian Express railway which in itself makes this completely watchable and makes for fantastic cinematography. The story takes us along the railway with Jesse (Emily Mortimer) and Roy (Woody) who are taking the trek as an adventure after a stint in China. The two Americans find themselves befriended by a young couple Carlos and Amby (I think thats her name,the character was played by Kate Mara) who themselves are traveling around Russia. After some time together an awkward friendship forms between Jesse and Carlos who has several different motives. As the train keeps pushing across the frozen tundra some situations occur that separate the newfound friends and places certain individuals in compromising positions that ultimately result in some stressful events. Russian narcotics officer Grinko (Kingsley) arrives just in time to really make things chaotic and turn the train ride into a thrill ride. Jesse finds herself pushing and pulling between dealing with the truth and what it will take to survive the train trip home.

First of all whether one loves the plot or not, its hard to deny the fantastic cinematography that takes place throughout the film. The train sequences inside are so authentic that one can truly feel the atmosphere breathing. Overall the whole film just feels authentic to the locations and the people who wander in and out of the film are completely genuine. Superb performances by all, just really good stuff from actors you would expect it from. Plot runs a little weaker towards the end and inevitably its somewhat predictable as most thrillers are, but with the train and the location its a enough of a twist to keep viewers interested. Flick definitely should appeal more to mainstream audiences then the typical indie sorts, so buzz might be a bit weak on the indie circuit but this movie should have decent release interest and definitely get good views on video and cable when people give it a chance.

Transsiberian fmovies. I had heard little about this film before watching it, apart from the cast that included the wonderful Ben Kingsley as well as Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson. Who each added a great depth to their respective characters making for compelling viewing. The blend of great actors and natural dialogue makes for an emotive and visceral experience.

Brad Anderson has made a well paced thriller that explores the vast emptiness and deprived parts of Russia, and at the same time in contrast capturing the beautiful scenic landscape, as the characters delve deeper into the twisting roads of the narrative. Other than The Machinist (2004) I was unfamiliar with his work but will probably lookout for upcoming features as he has shown great competency in both the writing and direction of this film. Balancing the dramatic aspects of the narrative with the overall film.

The most important thing to note is that it is an independently produced film, which means it is free from the constraints of the mainstream but unfortunately this may mean that it falls through the net as independent films are often unable to compete with the marketing capacity of studio productions. As a result this film will probably not receive a nation wide release across UK cinemas, which is a shame.

This film is great watch with a solid narrative structure and with honest performances from all actors involved, hopefully you'll find Transsiberian a worthwhile watch as I did.

2008 Sundance Film Festival ★ ★ ★ ★ (out of four)

My favorite movie from the first day of Sundance 2008. Roy (a very young-looking Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) are a young Iowa couple, returning from a church humanitarian mission in China via the Transsiberian Express, where they encounter the much more adventurous Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara). Boarding mid-way is Ben Kingsley, who we have learned from the opening scene is a Moscow police detective.

Like a Hitchcock classic, we are grabbed from the start with a feeling that things are not all as they seem, and don't lose that uneasy feeling that something very bad is going to happen until bad things really start happening. The tension is eerie and relentless, with telling glances and social conversation that suggest the relationships between these four are going to take a disturbing turn. Written by Director Brad Anderson (The Machinist), and inspired by a Transibberian trip he once took, the script is inspired and very tight, the characters infused with extraordinary depth and interest, the Russian state a harrowing umbrella and the dialog consistently powerful and compelling. (My favorite line, from Ben Kingsley, goes something like this: "We have a saying in Russia: You can always go forward with a lie, but you can never go back.")

As Anderson said in the Q&A, the confined spaces of trains make for heightened drama. Shot in Lithuania, the cinematography is haunting, capturing the mysterious, bleak and unsettled state of post-Soviet Russia, which makes for a marvelous backdrop to the action.

This movie should do well in national release. Maybe very well.

Sundance Moments: Brad Anderson and all the principals of the cast were at the Sundance premiere. More so than usual, they all praised Anderson as an extraordinary and meticulous director, one of the greats. Ben Kingsley noted that what attracted him to the movie, besides the Russian sub-story, was that the characters were archetypes and not caricatures, which is quite true. Anderson talked about how bitterly cold it was shooting in Lithuania.

Trains are famously atmospheric, especially on long runs across remote areas like China to Moscow through Siberia. Voilà: the Transsiberian railway. The quartet who meet in a compartment aren't really likable, but you're thrown in with them, like on a train--the way Roy (Woody Harrelson), his wife Jessie (Emily Mortimer), Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara) are thrown together in this tight, exciting, basically old fashioned thriller. This is the new Russia of big money and mafia corruption, but the ingredients are tried and true. Strangers on train: there's something Hitchcockian about the way innocent people get roped into incriminating situations and then appear perhaps not to be so innocent after all.

They're on a very long ride, and in the overheated intensity of the cars (you can't seem to pry the windows open) things are blown out of proportion. They're too naive, too suspicious, too sexy. Roy's too pious and decent and upbeat. Look at the donut and not at the hole, is his motto. He's a very Christian hardware dealer and Jessie is his wife with a wild past that comes out when she meets another woman. They're returning from some sort of Christian outreach project in China. Roy's like a little boy: he loves trains. The Express is like a huge toy all for him. He's very devoted to Jessie, but the sex hasn't been going too well.

The next day into the compartment comes a younger couple. Carlos and Abby say they were teaching in Japan. However, Carlos, a handsome devil, who has his eye on Jessie, seems to know a little too much about how to get past customs with a dodgy passport. He shows off theirs proudly to Jessie, who's had a bit of trouble with the Russians. Her passport and Roy's are too pristine, he says. It makes the officials suspicious. His and Abby's are packed with stamps. They look "real." He's got some of those Russian dolls, the little lacquered things like shoots only with babushka heads, one inside the other. He says his are special, and he's going to sell them for a lot of money.

Well, he is, but that isn't why.

The train makes long stops, and Roy is so fascinated with the cars, he gets involved in a conversation with Carlos, and then the train takes off without him. Abby and Jessie have had a heart-to-heart and Jessie has confessed she had a lot of drug and alcohol problems. Roy says they "met by accident" because they met in an accident, when she was driving drunk and he stayed with her in the hospital. That's when he told her the donut and the hole story.

Carlos is dangerous, handsome, and predatory. Jessie has that wild side gesturing wildly to be let out again. And he could be the one to tease it out.

When Roy gets left behind Jessic has to get off at the next stop and wait for him. Carlos and Abby insist on getting off with her and keeping her company. And that's when the trouble really begins. Stuff happens. Surprising stuff. Or not. Depends on how good you are at predicting this kind of plot.

But the thing is, Brad Anderson and his writing collaborator Will Conroy have put together a story rich in atmosphere, that really convinces you all this could only happen here, on the train, in the snow, in the none-too-touristic rural Russian hotel and on a bus, and out in the middle of nowhere. The outdoors is all snow. The train cars are rickety and yet tough. The woman attendants are all Nurse Ratcheds who speak nothing but loud angry disapprovi