kluseba (15 May 2013)

For those who like Russian culture, history, atmosphere and landscapes

To really appreciate this movie, you should like Russia, the legendaryTranssiberian train, Russian culture and history and the Nordiclandscapes which create a quite charming and historical atmosphere.That's what it's all about, because the story is surely a quiteinteresting and even twisted one with some very solid actors and amysterious storyline, but nothing really special or profound.But all in all, it is a beautiful movie to watch and combines twistedsuspense elements with an interesting and authentic Russian flow andatmosphere. Russian culture meets a solid thriller and creates anentertaining and open-minded movie which I really liked to watch a fewtimes.

patrick powell (14 May 2013)

Great start, no conclusion. That's the real mystery.

What went wrong? Transsiberian starts well, continues well, whets yourappetite for a great mystery story, then peeters out shamelessly. Thesetting is intriguing, the performances rather good, there is,unusually for a film of this kind, real characterisation. Yet none ofthe promises the film makes is kept. There is no resolution. Yes, ourheroine is rescued at the last minute (courtesy of that traditionalcopout, the deus ex machina, in this case a trainload of Chechnya-boundRussian squaddies showing up), but the story is never concluded. Almostnothing is explained. It has even occurred to me that whenTranssiberian was edited, they threw away the wrong strips of film.(Sir) Ben Kingsley plays the corrupt narcotics cop well, but we arenever told what was going on. Sorry, but when you set up a mystery filmin the way Transsiberian does, you really are obliged to explain all bythe time the credits roll. If you don't, well, you have simply made abad film. The additional mystery is that as other aspects of this filmare rather good, why did director Brad Anderson do exactly that? Wasthere interference by the producers, the studio? Who knows. PS (A fewdays later): I saw this while on a flight from London to Hong Kong andI've since been told that films are often 'edited' for the flights.Perhaps crucial cuts were made which rendered this film the odd mess itis. Perhaps not. Who knows? But I thought I might mention it to befair.

KJ Doughton (11 May 2013)

A missionary couple with unresolved marital problems falls prey to corrupt cops and horny heroin smugglers in Transsiberian, a decent thriller that derails only during a preposterous finale.

kristjan0305 (11 May 2013)

one of the worst films that I have saw

I used IMDb to see the rating and to find out if movie is watchable.Because of this movie I registered just to give my first vote which isAWFUL. You will watch lots of unreasonable situations witch will leadto the one of the worst endings that I have ever seen. I really hatethat I have to enter ten lines of text as this film does not deserve myadditional time as I have spent 111 minutes watching this film. Veryironical that it lasts 111 minutes and here is my additional 1 for thisfilm as well. The only thing which is good in this movie is BenKingsley and I am very sorry that this kind of actor must act in thiskind of movies.

siderite (27 April 2013)

Boring thriller, with Ben Kingsley in an insignificant role

I wanted to go to Russia and travel with the Transsiberian train. Now Iknow I don't want to anymore. Other than that, the movie had absolutelyno merit. The script is inspired by some of the many bad roadthrillers, the characters are completely impossible to empathize with -they are all arrogant, annoying, egotistical and ultimately stupid -the scenery isn't even so beautiful and the only feeling you aregetting when watching is impatience: when is this going to end?Woody Harrelson seems to play in increasingly insignificant roles, BenKingsley is there only to bring people into the theater, and the bottomline is this: don't watch it. It will bore you to death.

taggart77 (27 April 2013)

First 15 minutes promise great things, but quickly falls off into nothingness.

In the first part of the movie, I was impressed by the director'sconfidence to sit in a scene to create tension. Look, they're justsitting at that table, but we know something more is happening!However, about 20 minutes in, I realized that's just what the directordoes - sits on a scene or beat until it bores you, and then moves on. Ikept watching, assuming the movie would deliver on the promise createdat the start, but that happened too late and too poorly. Not only didthe plot devolve into meandering tangents, but I grew to hate theprotagonist. Her primary conflict lost credibility, but the directorjust stuck with it.A disappointing waste of a good premise.

JoBlo (23 April 2013)

A unique picture that left me feeling -- for the first time in a very long time -- like I'd actually been in another place, another world...so very different from my own.

samkan (22 April 2013)

It Takes A lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry......

Okay, so I ripped off the Dylan song for my title, I had so much funwatching this movie that I'm in a giddy mood! The built-in, "rip-off"potential of the train-trip setting is enormous; e.g. a long tripisolated with mysterious and dangerous strangers would seem to do mostof the work for the writer and director. Its like the game CLUE, themakers job is done for them and they need only fill in the blanks,paint-by-the-numbers, etc.Not this writer or director. Instead of CLUE, the game is JIMANJI onsteroids. The numbers to paint by change as you dip your brush.None ofmy traditional boring and snobby analysis here. This is simply arecommendation to have some fun and watch this movie!Kingsley and Mortimer are fantastic (the "Carlos" actor too!)! I putHarrelson is in a class by himself. I don't ever think I've seen anactor who, while remaining faithful to his role, appears to so enjoywhat he's doing! Its so easy for me to imagine, e.g., that Woody - notjust his character - loves trains.Don't miss this film!

Chris Hewitt (St. Paul) (17 April 2013)

Transsiberian is fantastic.

(16 April 2013)

Fantastic

This is a film that upon going into it, I knew absolutely nothing about it other than a few chinese whispers about how good it was. The cast for such a little known film on the world wide scale is absolutely shocking as it contains genuine legends in Woody Harrelson and Ben Kingsley. Also some relatively unknown names to me such as Kate Mara and Emily Mortimer, but they come to this film with their shocking beauty and captivating acting ability.The film is primarily based around Roy & Jessie (Harrelson & Mortimer) who after a volunteer stint in China decide to take the Trans-Siberia express train to Moscow thanks to Roys love of trains. They both end up with two fellow travellers Carlos & Abby (Eduardo Noriega & Kate Mara) who aren't what they seem and open up some dark parts of Jessies past and create some more troubles for her that she could have hoped. During the journey, Roy is left behind at a station forcing Jessie to get to know Carlos a little bit more which leads into a bit of a tragic affair.One thing I will always be prepared to praise this film for is its setting, the country of Russia is such a beautiful place and although it may have a dark underworld "Transsiberia" manages to capture both the breathtaking beauty of the nation and the cruel situation of some of its natives. The aerial views of the train travelling through the snowy landscape are something to be witnessed, and I sincerely can't imagine how stunning it would be to see such a landscape in person but there's no doubting the film captured it perfectly.The acting has to be seen to be believed also (of course) as each and every actor plays their part perfectly. Woody Harrelson's character is the gullible Christian do-gooder who only wants to make his girlfriend happy. Jessie, Emily Mortimers character is possibly the more complex of the entire group as she has a bit of a dark past and thanks to Roy, may not have been alive at the point of this film. Throughout you see Emily reveal that dark side thanks to the manipulative influences of Carlos played by Eduardo Noriega. The character of Carlos is possibly the more shallow and predictable of the group and in a way, you become aware of what his true intentions are from the get go. The staggering beauty of Kate Mara also deserves a mention, but her acting unfortunately wasn't used to its full potential as it was a film focusing mainly around the three prior protagonists.Just when you think you have the film worked out, it shoots off in a completely new and intriguing direction. I found myself starting off thinking "oh this is going to be a bang bang, trigger happy action flick." Then I found myself thinking about half way through "oh it's a movie about self discovery and personal identity." No it wasn't that either and that is one of the main selling points of the entire picture, you simply don't know where it's going to end up. Ben Kingsley does play a bigger part than you originally think which is quite enlightening in some respects as I always enjoy his work.This is a wonderful film that I know can easily be enjoyed by anyone and everyone. It isn't a family film by any respects, but is certainly one that can be enjoyed thoroughly by the adults in any family.

oneguyrambling (10 April 2013)

Not Session 10 - but not at all bad.

The director of Transsiberian made Session 9, a film I've built up andespoused the virtue of time and again.Transsiberian concerned me, as it seemed to slip under the radar - Iwas more than a little scared that it would suck.If you were having similar thoughts I can tell you that it ain't toobad. But it isn't Session 10.There isn't really one memorable thing about Transsiberian or a sceneto describe that will make it sound like a "must see", but it's solidfrom start to finish, never boring and will keep you guessing.The opening scene: Russian police are investigating a drug relatedmurder, nothing special happens, but it tells us Ben Kingsley is aRussian detective.Cut to China, a young couple Roy and Jess are members of a churchsponsored social group, and as a treat for their marriage they decideto take the long way home via duh-duh-duh-daaaaaaaaa! The Transsiberianline. It is supposed to benefit the marriage as Roy is a rail buff witha model railway at home, and Jess is a wannabe photographer who takesthe opportunity to grab some snaps along the way.In the first 20 minutes they soon realize that they are Strangers in aStrange Land, there are finicky drug searches, corruption and casualbrutality, often initiated by the police.So they get some cabin mates and then the fun starts in earnest,another young couple, introverted American girl Abby and Spanish (?)Carlos, a swarthy, chatty schmoove guy, who immediately befriends Roy.At a stop Roy and Carlos head off to look at stationary trains, and thegirls sit on the station bench and chat about their respective pasts.Soon after the train takes off Jess realizes Roy isn't aboard, and anonboard investigation brings up nothing, so she has no option but tobacktrack and look for Roy at the previous station, now good buddiesCarlos and Abby decide to come along for protection and company.By this stage you already have theories and suspicions about what has,and what will happen from here (it's a movie after all, that's whatyou're supposed to do), what I found is that I was often close butnever spot on, and sometimes the plot flip-flops into another directionentirely. One minute it's a mystery, then a whodunit, then briefly aHostel clone, but by the end it all wraps up nicely.Hard to describe a film like this without giving away the game, but Iwill say that to outline the whole deal would be an extensive andexhaustive process, and Transsiberian is a film that will keep youguessing and at least interested the whole way through.There are really only 5 actors with any significant lines in the film,and they're all mentioned above and play vital parts in the film, andplay them well. The tone is kept quite low key, and the vision isalways washed out and colourless, as it is generally set in WintryRussia.There are no big budget setpieces, no big stunts or tricky camera work,and probably even less action than Session 9, which didn't have mucheither.This is just solid filmmaking and I would argue a worthy 2 hours ofyour time.Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. Lacks the punch (and payoff) of Session 9, butgood storytelling and an everchanging plot line should keep you aboard.If you liked this review (or even if you didn't) check outoneguyrambling.com

Mike Goodridge (10 April 2013)

It's gripping, suspenseful and well-acted by a starry cast but is finally let down by a plot which goes spectacularly off the rails in the final act.

jonb-29 (07 April 2013)

Nasty little "USA is best"

Yet another modern movie with no guts. This sucked. Although thescenery could have made even a bad movie look good, in this case itjust showed how poorly scripted, directed and cast this movie was. Inparticular the lead female character was revolting. What a small,treacherous piece of humanity. The moment her husband is out of thescene she's sleazing over the drug stealing Spaniard Carlos. For areligious person she had the morals of an alley-cat. Not content withperving on him in the shower she heads with him into the wild, leavinghis girlfriend behind. Predictably, he tries it on, she then proceedsto beat him to death. Not nice. And worse, she denies this for the restof the movie. She wasn't a good, righteous person, but that's whatwe're expected to believe. The Americans just look like saps. Couldhave been OK, reviewers who compare it to Hitchcock are probably right,his later work was fairly nasty and in many cases, like this just,didn't make sense.

Brian Orndorf (07 April 2013)

It takes its sweet time, but Transsiberian is a frosty, gripping ride on the terror train. It maintains the generous beat, giving audiences a nice jolt of xenophobia to go with their helping of traditional thrills.

(16 March 2013)

Train Games and Atrocities

TRANSSIBERIAN is a one note song. Set almost entirely in the claustrophobia of the Trans Siberian Express train that winds from Beijing to Moscow through the snowy terrain of Siberia, the story of deception and drug trafficking chugs along with some significant interruptions. But in the end the film suffers from the monotone setting of snow and terror.A carefree young couple is completing a missionary program of good will in Beijing for their church. Jessie (Emily Mortimer) is a photographer, Roy (Woody Harrelson) is fascinated by trains, and the couple heads home from their mission of goodwill on the Trans Siberian Express. They share a compartment with a strange couple - the seductive Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and his young girlfriend Abby (Kate Mara) - whose livelihood is drug trafficking. Jessie is drawn into Carlos' world and emotional field: a tragedy occurs and Jessie must confide in her husband that the couple they were growing to know is not what they seem. A police inspector Grinko (Ben Kingsley) joins the train and the thriller portion of the film picks up speed until the final somewhat surprising set of discoveries complete the story.Emily Mortimer owns the screen when she is present and carries our compassion despite circumstances less than honorable. There are holes a plenty in the script by writer/director Brad Anderson and Will Conroy, but jump on for the ride through the winter terrain - entertainment is always present. Grady Harp, November 08

roover_s (15 March 2013)

happy ending!! how?

Like a common audience i expect a happy ending, which certainly wasthere, but please don't try to justify the end though. If the story wasto continue further, we'd get ourselves a crappy "american family"story--marriage falling apart, husband hurt to the core and the childtaking all the heat for the crappy decision that her mother made--thatshe can still change, she can have a family. Despite the effort of thedirector to convince the audience with--the innocent getting itall--happy ending, i am left in a dilemma about the authenticity of thecharacters. jessie had a "chica mala", "pre-roy" past and we have roy,a very compassionate human being who marries and 'saves' her, takes herto china, they save children... meanwhile jessie's normalcy is wearingthinner. she does not want to be 'rooted' to a person, let alone afamily. for a brief moment she's herself again with flirtatious carlos,but the church reminds her that she's still chained in a marriage.later in the movie, in a brief moment roy too reveals his selfishnessand hypocrisy when roy and jessie in-compassionately leave half-deadabby with the murderers. The idea of trying to redeem yourself bygiving money to your victim! that's typical human. but, can this be ahappy ending? the movie fails in so many ways, but the cinematographyis good though

(15 March 2013)

Snore yawn

One of the worst movies I've seen in the last couple of years. It is difficult to understand the good reviews of this one, which is certainly not the least bit comparable to Hitchcock, as some reviewers have said. Literally nothing interesting or meaningful happens for the first 45 minutes, except that the woman from one couple and the guy from the other couple give each other all kinds of predictable, sexually charged, boring looks from the across the train car. If you want to see sexual tension done right, watch Hitchcock's North By Northwest. (BTW, heads-up: there is an incredibly graphic torture scene about 2/3 of the way through the movie, in case you don't like that kind of thing.)

kev_silv (14 March 2013)

a descent crime/drug adaption that currently rules our world today.

this film is your typical American couple getting in trouble withforeign police on a much needed adventure. while the film showed solidacting and a very great reasonable representation of what drugtrafficking is like in the real world, it lacked an extra level ofexcitement and action..may seem kinda dull. what really won me over washow accurate this film is..be aware and don't talk to strangers, ifanyone is getting on a train/flight or adventure. Overall a fun anddrug/crime sort of movie to watch if the mood shall strike you..nothinglost if you decide to watch a comedy instead. *fills the 10 linerequirement...

(06 March 2013)

A Snowball of a Thriller

A less than likable American couple, having just finished missionary work in China (two of the most unlikely missionaries imaginable), have decided to "treat" themselves to an extended vacation by crossing Russia before their flight back to the states via the TRANSSIBERIAN. (Just the phrase itself conjures up gender confusion, but I digress.) While traveling across a very cold, white, yet beautiful Mother Russia wilderness--in cramped quarters, with less than reliable facilities, and very surly train staff--this couple finds itself entangled in first a murder, then a struggle with corrupt Russian police over a shipment of heroin. The ending is Hollywood lame and over the top, but until we get there TRANSSIBERIAN furnishes icy suspense in spades--especially when delivered by a thickly-accented Ben Kingsley, playing a less than admirable law enforcement officer.Just thinking about Woody Harrelson annoys me, while there's not an instrument in existence that can measure my indifference to Emily Mortimer, yet I must say this pair does a decent job playing an incompatible couple dealing with more than their fair share of. . .stress. But the actors who ultimately carry this film are Kingsley, who is totally believable as a corrupt cop working for the mob, and Thomas Kretschmann as Kingsley's scowling, menacing deputy. You don't want to get on either's bad side, believe me. I thoroughly enjoy how the story, character development, and plot are patiently set up before the real suspense begins, culminating in a sense of panic and urgency--before the nuttiness of the ending. And maybe I'm a tad cruel, but the sight of Harrelson and Mortimer running through the snow without shoes brings a smirk to my mug. I definitely need to chill.--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning

matthewdefaccio (05 March 2013)

Suspense at its best

This movie really had me completely absorbed throughout. Writing isgood and the acting is top notch. The real gem is how the story unfoldswithout giving away the conclusion. Its atmosphere is really unique andreally gave a feeling of what it would be like to be on a train in thefreezing winter in Siberia. Woody does a great job and you can reallysee the dynamic between him and the actress that plays his wife in themovie. There are only a couple parts that I feel dragged on a bit, butoverall it kept me engaged from start to finish. This movieaccomplishes what big budget films so often lack and that is a greatstory that is executed well by all involved. Would recommend this movieto anyone who is looking for a good suspenseful film.