Celluloid
Director Brad Anderson has put together an impressive resume that covers a wide variety of genre. He's proven to be equally adept at the smart romantic dramedy (2000's Happy Accidents) as he is at tense psychological fare such as The Machinist and his criminally overlooked horror-flick Session 9. With Transsiberian, Anderson really gets to flex his Hitchcockian sensibilities. The story centers around Jessie and Roy (played by Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson), a married couple who decide to board the Transsiberian train for Moscow after completing a mission trip through their church. After they are introduced to a mysterious pair of young cabin mates (Eduardo Noriega and Kate Mara), a sordid tale of intrigue, passion, and deceit unfolds. While the storyline doesn't seem particularly original, Anderson succeeds in laying on thick narrative tension amidst claustrophobic surroundings. Mortimer and Noriega, who has appeared in some quality foreign fare such as The Devil's Backbone and Open Your Eyes, exhibit a natural chemistry and Ben Kingsley is chillingly believable as corrupt Russian detective Ilya Grinko. Overall, the film could have easily registered as another run-of-the-mill crime thriller, but Anderson's direction along with some fine performances push it a notch above. Worth checking out. -- Capt. Obvious
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