Transsiberian

Director Brad Anderson gave us The Machinist a few years ago. Since, he has directed some TV shows like The Wire, The Shield, and Fringe. So, it’s fair to say he’s no stranger to the bleak and murky.

Transsiberian is a thriller set, mostly, aboard the Transsiberian railway. Married couple Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) are on the way home from China when they run in to Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara). They make friends with them, but it’s soon revealed that Carlos and Abby might not be what they appear. Sir Ben Kingsley plays the Russian equivalent of a DEA agent hot on the heels of some drug smugglers. And naturally, a whole slew of things go wrong, and we get Russian criminals, drug smuggling, murder and deception.

I found this thriller reasonably entertaining and interesting. The setting of dark, snowy Russia worked well for this cold-blooded story, and the performances were all good. I’ve always liked Harrelson, and his cheerful optimism suited his character perfectly.

There are a few excellent scenes set in the foreboding landscape of a small Russian town along the railway, most notably one between Jessie and Carlos which goes horribly wrong. The final reel, however, lost some of its impact for me, simply by — pardon the pun — derailing a little bit with over-the-top violence and some gruesome torture.

Still, if you’re looking for a solid thriller with good performances and an unusual setting, you might want to give Transsiberian a shot.