Red Line (2013)

Tori is on the phone with her father and they are not getting along. So she is pretty upset already when she gets on the subway. At some point we learn about others who are getting on the subway too, or at least we think we do. Some of these people might not be telling the truth. But here is what we think we know. Adam proposes to Rubina and is giving her a ring, but they are Muslim and a ring is not a part of their tradition. Boyd is an actor. Mason is a veteran of Iraq. Al is an engineering student of Brazilian heritage. Sam is a history teacher who is married to Kathy. Yolanda is a medical professional of some kind who can't speak much English. And Jared and Kristine have a young daughter Dillon.Something terrible happens and people die. At first I thought there was a shooter but it later becomes clear there must have been an explosion. Apparently the train car is on its side and there's no easy way out. There is no one in charge and these ordinary people have to find the solutions to their problems. Some are hurt enough that they might die. Tori calms down and copes quite well. Jared thinks Kristine (who stays remarkably calm considering everything) is worse off than Adam and insists Kristine be helped first. Whatever is wrong with Kristine, something is always blurry. I saw this happen in another movie where someone was so seriously injured she died. The important thing is Kristine is trapped. So is Sam, but he isn't hurt, as long as he can be freed. Kathy is dead and so is a police officer.Eventually, everyone who is able to help can get involved. Yolanda, as the only one who seems to have medical training, does what she can, and Kristine can translate for her, but help is needed from outside and the group needs a way to escape. So there is a lot of work to do, and risks must be taken.And then someone discovers a second bomb. Worse yet, what if one of the group set off the first bomb and is ready to kill more people? What if the terrorist actually intends to commit suicide and does not have a way out? The group must deal with many moral dilemmas. Should they figure out who did the deed and keep that person from killing again? How much should they do to this person? And what if more than one of them might be involved? This movie keeps things exciting and I was on the edge of my seat a lot. The acting performances are good, particularly that of the person playing the terrorist. The excitement of solving the mystery and the urgency of preventing more deaths make this quite entertaining. And of course there are the moral dilemmas. Even young Dillon does something quite surprising.I think it's worth seeing.

This is the type of suspense movie that makes the most out of a limited setting, as the vast majority of the film takes places underground on a subway as a terrorist bomb derails a train, and it looks like the saboteur is among the surviving passengers. This is a good combination of suspense, action, and whodunnit as another bomb is discovered and the remaining passengers try to figure out who blew the train up. Basically, this is a harmless time passer if you like this typer of movie-I might recommend it. I liked it. The cast worked well together, and I found myself on the edge of my seat.** 1/2 out of ****

A bomb goes off in an LA subway, and the survivors try to keep it together, care for the injured, and find a way out, all the while wondering who, if any, amongst them is the terrorist.For a very low budget film that some college students and faculty made as a project--something I didn't realize until after I'd seen it--REDLINE is quite good. All the same, the acting by just about everyone is dry-tepid, and most of the lines sound read rather than said. Plot-wise, it pretty much follows the formula, with the sort of twists that are meant to be surprising but are well-trodden to the point of being quite predictable. Who/who doesn't survive is another predictable factor.The notes at the beginning of the film cite some statistics about domestic terrorism that seem to promise the film will have a broader scope than it actually does. Partly by necessity, I suppose, the view is quite limited and claustrophobic. Some brief shots of the outside world--rescue efforts, news flashes, etc--during the course of the film would have been a big plus, but I can see how they didn't have the resources for that. More solid clues as to the motivations of the culprit would also have helped.Oh, well. REDLINE is a decent thriller if you like this sort of thing and aren't too demanding.

This movie was well played on all accounts! Seeing fellow Princeton native, Kevin Sizemore was a welcome surprise! The suspense with the unknown villain really kept me interested. Suspenseful music would have made it more spine tingling. Use of the little girl to help in the capture of the villain was something new. The typical profile of the middle eastern man that everyone blamed really took the focus off the real villain! Would like to have seen more in the scenery. Yes it was a train crash, but more fire and dangerous conditions would have added to the drama. Also, could have played on the lack of fresh oxygen. Glad to have the opportunity to watch and hope to see more!