Transsiberian (2008)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Brad Anderson

Writers (WGA):

Brad Anderson (written by) &
Will Conroy (written by)

Release Date:

10 October 2008 (Spain)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Arrive on time.

Plot:

A Trans-Siberian train journey from China to Moscow becomes a thrilling chase of deception and murder when an American couple encounters a mysterious pair of fellow travelers. |

Plot Keywords:

Money | Backpacker | Hotel | Blood | Bus

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Woody Harrelson	...	Roy
Emily Mortimer	...	Jessie
Kate Mara	...	Abby
Eduardo Noriega	...	Carlos
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Kolzak
Ben Kingsley	...	Grinko
Etienne Chicot	...	Frenchman
Mac McDonald	...	Minister
Colin Stinton	...	Embassy official
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Saulius Bagaliunas	...	Drunk Pole
Alfredas Butkevicius	...	Male Provodnik
Mindaugas Capas	...	Russian Officer
Vidmantas Jasiunevicius	...	Perter Tulun Station
Larisa Kalpokaite	...	Female Train Attendant #2
Bronius Kindurys	...	Uzbek
Valentinas Krulikovskis	...	Young Waiter Dining Car
Kristina Kulinic	...	School Girl #1
Sergej Oskin	...	Engineer
Mindaugas Papinigis	...	Young Detective
Andrius Paulavicius	...	Backpacker
Aleksandrs Petukhovs	...	Russian Cop
Antanas Radinskas	...	Sullen Clerk
Visockaite Sonata	...	Female Train Attendant #1
Antanas Surgailis	...	Young Russian
Perlis Vaisieta	...	Manager Hotel 'Pushkin'
Emilis Welyvis	...	Russian Cop
Jin Zhou	...	School Girl #2

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence, including torture and language.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

UK | Germany | Spain | Lithuania

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Lithuanian Film Studios, Vilnius, Lithuania

Company:

Filmax Group

Goofs:

Continuity: At one point in the movie Jessie is moving along the corridor of the train. A man with a freshly lit cigarette hanging from his lips is standing in the aisle as she approaches, as she passes him the camera pans back to the same guy who now has an almost finished cigarette in his mouth.

Thrilling,but not Gripping.

This movie could have been a brilliant one but falls short due to over simplification.Roy and Jessie are an American couple on board the transsiberian train from beijing to moscow.This particular route has its fair share of crime with drug transfers via 'mules'(innocent looking people transferring drugs from one location to the other)being rampant.A Spanish hombre Carlos and his American girlfriend Abby become the compartment mates of Roy and Jessie.And the darkness builds up on the white snow...

Emily Mortimer is splendid as Jessie,an amateur photographer, with a wild past.She is a good wife,but irrational and confused sometimes, unwillingly giving way to her wild side through her inherent goodness.Eduardo Noriega (Carlos) is enigmatic as the Macho,Attractive yet Impolite Spaniard,with a sense of danger lurking in his eyes.His pushy side, while repelling for a sedate person, draws adventurous individuals towards him like a magnet.Woody Harrelson ( Roy ) and Kate Mara ( Abby ) do not have enough screen time.However Ben KIngsley delivers an outstanding cameo as Russian narcotics division detective Grinko.

The Russian cold is captured effectively, the screenplay is taut, the camera captures the vivid icy desolation of Russia with some haunting imagery.These are the things that work for the movie.

However, this is not a Whoddunit movie and the Agatha Christie genre of the Orient Express should not be brought into consideration here.The movie focuses on select individuals and is definitely thrilling.The ending is over-contrived and somewhat ludicrous and spoils the building up of tension.The movie never grips the audience,but due to its overall quality definitely worth watching.