Transsiberian

Truth be told, this was one of those films that my husband picked out at our local video store. He doesn't have a good track record. Left to his own devices, he has the ability to singlehandedly find the worst films ever made... some straight to DVD nightmares starring no one with skills above a novice porn star. It's uncanny, really, how he can avoid every studio film in the store and hone in like a laser on crap. With the occasional exception. This was one of the latter.

Transsiberian (of the unfortunate title) is an original bit of a thriller. Two Americans (Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer,) typically green to the ways of the world at large, are traveling from Beijing to Moscow aboard the infamous TransSiberian railway. Their relationship is a little rocky, their bunk mates are a little sinister, they get separated, things go very, very wrong. Enter the local KGB style narcotics cop (played ominously by Sir Ben Kingsley,) who is sure that these Yanks are up to no good, and things get worse.

Although it's slow to get started, this little film had my nerves shot by midway in. Loaded with misdirection and some plot twists that I didn't see coming (and an obvious one that I did,) it's well written and well acted. Woody Harrelson can still pull off the 'wet behind the ears' simplicity he made his own all those seasons on Cheers, Emily Mortimer surprises and Sir Ben is, well, Sir Ben. Always impeccable. Soooo, I guess my husband did okay. This once. Check out the website here.