Transsiberian (2008)

Director:

Brad Anderson

Writers (WGA):

Brad Anderson (written by) &
Will Conroy (written by)

Release Date:

24 October 2008 (Spain)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Arrive on time.

Plot:

A Trans-Siberian 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.

Plot Keywords:

Train | Church | China | Spaniard | Travel

Awards:

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
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
Visockaite Sonata	...	Female Train Attendant #1 (as Sonata Visockaite)
Larisa Kalpokaite	...	Female Train Attendant #2
Valentinas Krulikovskis	...	Young Waiter

Also Known As:

Transsiberian (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence, including torture and language.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

Spain | Germany | UK | Lithuania

Language:

English | Russian | Spanish | Chinese | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Germany:16 | USA:R | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 (cut) | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:MA | Mexico:B15 | New Zealand:R16 | Taiwan:R-12

Filming Locations:

China

Company:

Filmax Group

Trivia:

When Emily Mortimer was approached about appearing in the film, she had only 24 hours to make a decision on the script. Not being familiar with Brad Anderson's previous works, she said yes immediately after reading the script.

Goofs:

Factual errors: 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.

Quotes:

Roy: [competing with other passenger's tiger scar] Hey, look at this. A deer attacked me.
passenger: A deer?
Roy: Yeah, a John Deer power mower!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2008-07-19)" (2008)

A Beautifully Shot Thriller in the Cold

Just screened this great film at Sundance 2008 and came away very pleased with the experience. It appears that Director Brad Anderson has successfully created a modern thriller worthy of attention. The backdrop of this film is the wondrous Transsiberian Express railway which in itself makes this completely watchable and makes for fantastic cinematography. The story takes us along the railway with Jesse (Emily Mortimer) and Roy (Woody) who are taking the trek as an adventure after a stint in China. The two Americans find themselves befriended by a young couple Carlos and Amby (I think thats her name,the character was played by Kate Mara) who themselves are traveling around Russia. After some time together an awkward friendship forms between Jesse and Carlos who has several different motives. As the train keeps pushing across the frozen tundra some situations occur that separate the newfound friends and places certain individuals in compromising positions that ultimately result in some stressful events. Russian narcotics officer Grinko (Kingsley) arrives just in time to really make things chaotic and turn the train ride into a thrill ride. Jesse finds herself pushing and pulling between dealing with the truth and what it will take to survive the train trip home.

First of all whether one loves the plot or not, its hard to deny the fantastic cinematography that takes place throughout the film. The train sequences inside are so authentic that one can truly feel the atmosphere breathing. Overall the whole film just feels authentic to the locations and the people who wander in and out of the film are completely genuine. Superb performances by all, just really good stuff from actors you would expect it from. Plot runs a little weaker towards the end and inevitably its somewhat predictable as most thrillers are, but with the train and the location its a enough of a twist to keep viewers interested. Flick definitely should appeal more to mainstream audiences then the typical indie sorts, so buzz might be a bit weak on the indie circuit but this movie should have decent release interest and definitely get good views on video and cable when people give it a chance.