Transsiberian (2008)

A Transsiberian 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.

Director:

Brad Anderson

Writers:

Brad Anderson, Will Conroy

Stars:

Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley

2 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Woody Harrelson	...	Roy
Emily Mortimer	...	Jessie
Ben Kingsley	...	Grinko
Kate Mara	...	Abby
Eduardo Noriega	...	Carlos Ximénez
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Kolzak
Etienne Chicot	...	Frenchman
Mac McDonald	...	Minister
Colin Stinton	...	Embassy Official
Perlis Vaisieta	...	Manager Hotel Pushkin
Mindaugas Papinigis	...	Young Detective
Mindaugas Capas	...	Military Officer
Sonata Visockaite	...	Female Train Attendant #1
Larisa Kalpokaite	...	Female Train Attendant #2
Valentinas Krulikovskis	...	Young Waiter

Storyline

Americans abroad. Roy and Jessie finished a volunteer stint in China. He loves trains, so they go home via the Trans-Siberia Express. There are strains in the relationship, including her past. They meet Carlos, a Spaniard, traveling with Abby, a young American. Carlos keeps close to Jessie, and when Roy is left behind and waits a day for the next train so he can catch up, Jessie and Carlos take a trip into the dead of winter to photograph a ruined church. Carlos may be running drugs, so, later, when Roy catches up and introduces Jessie to his new pal, an English speaking Russian narcotics detective, he's the last person Jessie wants to see. Will the Siberian desolation be their undoing?

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Plot Keywords:

train | drugs | travel | murder | 35 mm digital camera | 

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Taglines:

You can't escape your lies.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence, including torture and language

Details

Official Sites:

First Look Studios Official site [Germany]

Country:

UK Germany Spain Lithuania

Language:

English Russian Spanish Chinese French

Release Date:

5 September 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Expresso Transiberiano

Filming Locations:

China

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$34,615, 20 July 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,203,641, 9 November 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmax International,Canal+ España,Filmax Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital EX (as Dolby Digital Surround EX)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Among the references that Brad Anderson drew on were the movies North by Northwest (1959), Strangers on a Train (1951), The Lady Vanishes (1938), Runaway Train (1985), Dead Calm (1989), and the book "Crime and Punishment".

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Goofs

When Jessie first tries to get rid of the matreshkas (set of nesting dolls) made of drugs, she goes to the carriage platform and opens the door by rotating the red lever covered by frost. It's actually an emergency hand brake.

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Quotes

passenger: [about the Gulag] If you want proof about America, you take a book. You want proof about Russia, take shovel. They're all buried here. Scientists, priests, poets. There is no God, and there is no Siberia.

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Alternate Versions

9 secs of cuts to shots of a knife being pressed into a leg wound were removed from the UK DVD release in order to achieve a 15 classification. Cuts were made in accordance with BBFC Guidelines and policy. An uncut 18 was available.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Mamma Mia!/Transsiberian/The Dark Knight/Space Chimps/Tell No One (2008)

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Soundtracks

Lady In My Dreams
Written by Chris Baden

User Reviews

a fine, taut thriller

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.