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Movies / On DVD / Transsiberian
Transsiberian

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Transsiberian (2008)

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Reviews Counted:72

Fresh:65

Rotten:7

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: Traditional in form yet effective in execution, this taut thriller updates the "danger on a train" scenario with atmospheric sense.

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: With TRANSSIBERIAN, Brad Anderson proves once again that he has an exceptional ability to craft a suspenseful thriller. Leaving behind the overtly Hitchockian style that made THE MACHINIST such an... With TRANSSIBERIAN, Brad Anderson proves once again that he has an exceptional ability to craft a suspenseful thriller. Leaving behind the overtly Hitchockian style that made THE MACHINIST such an interesting formal exercise, Anderson this time shoots his film in color and roots it firmly in the present. Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) have just finished working with children overseas as part of a church project. Before flying back to the States, they decide to travel from Beijing to Moscow on the Trans-Siberian Express train, where they meet two fellow travelers, the handsome Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and young Abby (Kate Mara). The couples bond, but gradually Jessie becomes worried that her new friends are involved in drug trafficking. At that point, the web has been spun, and when the intimidating Russian detective, Grinko (Ben Kingsley), arrives, Roy and Jessie become innocent targets in a dangerous chase. Anderson's script, co-written with Will Conroy, helps to elevate TRANSSIBERIAN beyond mere thriller status. Without the suspense, it remains a well-executed portrait of a complicated relationship between two real people. Mortimer is her usual fantastic self, and it's fun to watch Harrelson play an average, upbeat American guy. Throw the always riveting Kingsley into the mix and you have a motion picture that is above average in every way. By the time the film reaches its payoff, viewers will have felt as if they, too, took a ride on the Trans-Siberian Express. [More]

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Thomas Kretschmann, Eduardo Noriega

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Thomas Kretschmann, Eduardo Noriega, Ben Kingsley, Kate Mara

Director: Brad Anderson

Director: Brad Anderson
Screenwriter: Will Conroy, Brad Anderson
Producer: Julio Fernandez
Composer: Alfonso De Vilallonga
Studio: First Look

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Reviews for Transsiberian

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment 1 Comment
01/29/08
Mike Goodridge
Mike Goodridge
Screen International

Enjoyable train-based thriller with strong performances, gorgeous photography and some enjoyable dashes of Hitchcock scattered liberally throughout.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
07/18/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Takes a more cerebral route, toying with your expectations only to give you something else, whispering hints of what fate might have in store for the characters after the credits roll.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
09/11/08
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

Transsiberian is more than a rote thriller; it’s also a sharp character study... actually, several studies in which the information about each character is slowly revealed and every scrap of knowledge further informs our understanding of the plot.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/18/08
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Though Anderson's storytelling gets murky at times, it's still a fine showcase for his versatility, adding to an impressive, under-the-radar résumé.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
07/17/08
Scott Tobias
Scott Tobias
AV Club

Modest thriller set aboard the titular train plays like low-suspense Hitchcock until sadly, in the last act, it derails.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/21/08
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

Unfortunately, there's never a moment where you can't see Anderson and his co-writer, Will Conroy, yanking on the strings.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment 1 Comment
11/17/08
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

A well mounted, character-cognizant combination of Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train and Andrei Konchalovskys existentially tinged Runaway Train.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
07/24/08
Mark Keizer
Mark Keizer
Boxoffice Magazine

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.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
08/21/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

Director Brad Anderson throws in a red herring or two as he comments on Eurotrash and the greed-fueled lawlessness of the former Soviet Union, but he ultimately makes an even stronger statement about the dark side of female empowerment.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
11/17/08
Andrea Gronvall
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader

Transsiberian starts in neutral, taking the time to introduce its characters, and then goes from second into high like greased lightning. I was a little surprised to notice how thoroughly it wound me up. This is a good one.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
08/15/08
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's got that classic thriller feel where characters are slowly caught in a mousetrap and they have to find their way out. It's a slow, menacing burn.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
08/15/08
Todd Hertz
Todd Hertz
Christianity Today

as Hitchcockian thrillers go, it's one of the smarter and more absorbing ones made in recent years

Full Review Source: Cinema Writer | comment Comment
12/22/08
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Cinema Writer

Though not one for literal smoke and mirrors, master of horror Brad Anderson, with his panache for arousing fear from harried reality and rotted atmosphere, is still a shaman.

Full Review Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul | comment Comment
07/16/08
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

Even if you've seen lots of movies of this type and can figure out exactly what's going to happen, Anderson takes great pleasure in the pure form and execution of it.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
07/17/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Whenever you may think you know where things are going, Anderson throws a number of clever and unexpected twists that keeps you on your toes.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
01/20/08
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

This is a slow, deliberate and carefully thought out piece for adults who like to savour rather than devour their thrills

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
09/11/08
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

Transsiberian has more twists and turns in it than the real-life, extensive train route that gives this independently produced suspense-thriller its name.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
09/18/08
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Anderson's most accessible film to date.

Full Review Source: Dread Central | comment Comment
07/17/08
Johnny Butane
Johnny Butane
Dread Central
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Transsiberian

January 13, 2009: Nolan, del Toro, Stanton and More on Golden Tomatoes
Awards season is officially in full swing, with the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes already behind us and several more ceremonies scheduled in the weeks to come. RT is... More...

November 03, 2008: RT on DVD: Get Smart, Futurama: Bender's Game and the Obama DVD Controversy
This week, pick up Steve Carell's sweetly bumbling spy antics (Get Smart), the promising new Futurama movie (Bender's Game), a few early holiday treats (Shrek the Halls, A... More...

August 07, 2008: Exclusive Clip: Strangers and a Train in Transsiberian
Strangers on a train get caught in a web of murder and drug trafficking in Brad Anderson's exotic thriller, Transsiberian. Watch an exclusive clip from the film here. More...

July 17, 2008: Critics Consensus: The Dark Knight Is One Of The Year's Best-Reviewed
This week, we've got the Caped Crusader (The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger), ABBA aficionados (Mamma Mia!, starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried),... More...

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