by D Server

Created on: February 12, 2010

Transsiberian has several different story lines which are wound together, though not necessarily successfully. There's an American couple, played by Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer, who are travelling overseas by train, sent there by their local Iowa church to help underprivileged children. By chance, they end up sharing a compartment with another couple, played by Eduardo Noriega and Kate Mara, who are supposed to be teachers but are really drug smugglers. Then there is a storyline about Russian drug dealers pretending to be police, but who were actually infiltrated by an uindercover policeman, played by Ben Kingsley.

The film almost breaks down into two halves. I found the first half of the film more interesting than the last. The first hour of the movie is spent listening to the characters talk about their lives, both good and bad. The Iowa couple are naturally  a little more outward in their talks, while the couple smuggling drugs are more secretive and less open. To give away the plot, the Iowa couple become separated for a day when Roy, played by Harrelson, doesn't get back on the train in time after a stop. At this point, his wife decides to get off the train and search for him. The other couple join him. Carlos and Abby, played by Noriega and Mara, have an argument and separate. At this point, Carlos goes off on a sightseeing tour to a church with Jessie (played by Mortimer.) They are isolated and he starts making advances on her. He will not take no for an answer and eventually she picks up a shovel and kills him. He lays dying in the heavy snow.

The rest of the film is Jessie trying to hide the murder while getting mixed up with drug dealers and Russian police. It is only at this point that we know for sure that Carlos and Abby were involved in drug dealing. Most of the last part of the film  is rather harrowing, but seemed to be a bit forced. And the nice character study which Transsiberian was in its first hour turns into something much different. There is torture and violence, none of which was given much preparation in the early stages of the movie. Still, the first part of the film was quite engaging, the scenery is quite exotic, and there is a surprise ending.Transsiberian was basically enjoyable, but probably could have been better.

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