TransSiberian (2008)

Just like me, half of the reviewers love this movie for being a suspensful thriller, and an overall good acting on behalf of the main characters.And just like me, half of the reviewers disdain this movie for too many US-stereotypes and implausibilities.

On a Trans-Siberian train journey from China to Moscow an American couple get caught up in a conspiracy of deception and murder when they encounter a mysterious pair of fellow travellers.With a handful of main characters director Brad Anderson offers an American fish out of water thriller with a meandering off beat story by Will Conroy which helps build the tension, especially cultural throughout. There are some shootings, attempted rape and torture, in addition for a low key drug smuggling yarn there are stunts and an impressive train crash. Woody Harrelson interestingly plays against wacky type cast as an everyday nice guy husband of Jessie (Emily Mortimer). Mortimer gives a convincing performance and has some depth which helps sell the situations she finds herself in after befriending drug traffickers Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara).Ben Kingsley is fitting as Grinko, a snooping Russian narcotics officer. Notable is Thomas Kretschmann as Kolzak Yushenkov, Grinko's right-hand man. And Noriega's dodgy Carlos is particularly convincing. While Mortimer steals the show, Mara also well cast as the lead astray out of her depth partner of Carlos. There's plenty of double cross and simmering character dynamics, imposing quiet Grinko befriending the couple to solve his smuggling case. Abby and Jessie's rivalry and Carlos' sexual tension with Jessie to name a few. The atmosphere is reminiscent of Citizen X (1995) with its snowy cold on location feel. Anderson creates some grounded fear and suspense as Jessie is put through the mill in this traditional taut thriller with a few twists. Recommend sleeper thriller.

I'm a sucker for a train film and this one has a decent cast so thought I would give it a try. The storyline is basically good, although at times I felt if it had just taken a slightly different turn it could have been so much better. I'm not normally a fan of Woody Harrelson but he played his part well, Ben Kingsley is a fine actor who is always worth watching, Kate Mara and Eduardo Noriega were also convincing. However, Emily Mortimer seemed to be working with the objective of making Jessie possibly one of the most annoying female characters ever to appear in a film. To be fair she can't be blamed for the script which dictated some of her character's more implausible actions, but her quivering, breathless, permanently agitated performance became more and more exasperating as the film progressed. I seriously wanted to push her right off that train! She is normally a good actress but I thought she was horrible in this role, turning what could have been an interesting character into an irritating airhead. If you can overlook the emotional excess of Jessie, and also the fairly patronising, stereotypical portrayal of Russian people, this is a decent enough film. It's watchable and its rating on IMDb is probably about right (currently 6.7). Could have been better but could also have been worse.

I'm absolutely flabbergasted at the high rating Transsiberian has gotten. Predictable, dull, stupid are just some of the adjectives I would use this describe this "thriller" of a movie. Have people not seen any actually good thrillers? Have they not seen any Hitchcock thrillers? You're supposed to sympathize with Emily Mortimer's character, Jessie, as she commits faux pas after faux pas. You know which types of characters are super hard to identify and empathize with? Stupid characters. Jessie, you're afraid of blood stains on your jacket and mittens and yet you conveniently forget you have photographic evidence which places you at the same spot you killed Carlos? Also, how hard is it to lose a backpack on a train? Hello. Earth to Jessie! The biggest unanswered question is how her train wreck of a husband could have forgotten to board the train when we saw he was wandering around with Carlos, who looked too pleased at the sight of portable metal to thrash him with. And you're telling me he missed the train and then shows up alive and well? The one iota of suspense I had over this movie was trying to figure out what/why the husband had planned with Carlos for his precious wife, because no one can be that daft and forget to board the train, right? WRONG. Now that would have been a twist! It's hard to sympathize with idiots. Only watch this if you want to laugh at stupid people and stupid decisions. There are far better movies that take place on a train.