Transsiberian

An American couple (Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer) traveling by train from China to Moscow find their lives complicated by another pair of travelers and a Russian police detective (Ben Kingsley).

Transsiberian is an atmospheric, impeccably acted psychological thriller that shows a lot of potential, but is just a little too long and too predictable for its own good.

Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer play Roy and Jessie, two Americans traveling by train to Moscow from China. A short while into their trip they encounter a mysterious couple played by Eduardo Noriega and Kate Mara. Now, here’s where the problems start: the film spends the next fifteen to twenty minutes nudging and hinting that Noriega and Mara are shady, but you already figured that out five minutes after they sat down.

Indeed, ten minutes after they appear you can guess their whole deal, and thus the later revelations in the script aren’t really revelations at all. Like everyone in the cast, Noriega and Mara do a great job, but director/co-writer Brad Anderson puts his cards on the table way too early. This trend continues throughout the film, with almost all the plot points providing little to no surprise. Thanks to the strong performances and good atmosphere, this isn’t as damaging as you would think, but it does keep a good film from being great.

Also, there’s a problem with the logic of the third act. At this point Emily Mortimer’s character is holding steadfast to a lie, refusing to divulge the truth even in the face of near certain death. It’s a ludicrous proposition and one that seems to exist solely in order to extend the film to the telegraphed (and almost equally ridiculous) conclusion.

All of this may make Transsiberian seem like a burn, but it’s not. Despite its predictable nature, the story does keep you interested, and the performances, especially Ben Kingsley, are all top-notch. Top it all off with some great location photography and you’ve got a solid film, albeit one with the potential to be a lot more.