TRANSSIBERIAN

Movie Review #1: TRANSSIBERIAN

Directed by Brad Anderson, Rated R, 1 hr., 51 minutes
Genre: Action/Suspense Drama
Reviewer Rating: A


I have to say that this is one movie that left me impressed. For whatever reason, the larger cinemas (Regal, AMC, etc.) seem to have missed this one, or I had never heard of it being widely released. It was released on the smaller screens, like (for those familiar to the Philadelphia suburbs) the Ritz and the County Theater in Doylestown. I'm sad to say that I missed its showing at the latter.

As to the genre, this movie is an action/suspense drama, and has a truly unpredictable plot (with one exception at the very end). Compared to a movie such as We Own the Night (2007) that had a predictable plot and who's ending, had it been written better (though it would have been more predictable) was dull, to say the least, Transsiberian is a breath of fresh air.

The story is about a couple who board the legendary train in China with the aim of arriving in Moscow, Russian Federation in about a week's time. Not only does the film feature some excellent cinematography which delights the eyes with masterful shots of Russia's eastern regions, but there is also a crippling sense of the decay in the post-Soviet world with which the ordinary men and women there have had to deal. The suspensful part of the story has regards illegal drug trafficking, and the harsh conditions facing those who would aggravate the militsia (the police) who seem meant to be portrayed as ex-KGB (more like ex-NKVD - if you know your Soviet history).

The cast has some renowned leads and is also peppered with more minor actors who manage from time to time to steal the show from some of the leads. The best actors of the film are Ben Kingsley and Woody Harrelson, and the best actress is without a doubt Emily Mortimer, who's face I have seen in other films and who's filmography as listed on the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/) is substantial.

There are a few warnings for this film. If you are squeamish and can't watch anything from Law and Order: SVU to the opening of Saving Private Ryan, you might want to stay away from this movie. There is explicit adult content in the film and there are also some intense action sequences. There is also a good amount of subtitling in the film, as half of the time, Ben Kingsley's character, Det. Grinko, is speaking in Russian (he does a good job of it, by the way).

Anyway, I give this movie both two thumbs up and five stars. Expect to see this one at Oscar time in February 2009.