Over the years, countless filmmakers have attempted to create true, Hitchcockian style suspense films. Few of these films capture the imagination; fewer still give viewers a true feeling of suspense while watching them. Every once in awhile though, a film comes along that keeps you at the edge of your seat. Expertly constructed, Transsiberian created a sense of dread in me from the first few minutes of the film that kept building until the adventure was over.
Directed by Brad Anderson (The Machinist), Transsiberian a couple Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) — are heading back home to the United States on board the Transsiberian Express from Beijing to Moscow, after doing missionary work in China. Roy is a train buff and very excited about the trip, while Jessie is a bit restless and more anxious to get back home.
Roy and Jessie wind up sharing their cabin with a young couple–a Spaniard named Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and his barely-twentysomething American girlfriend Abby (Kate Mara). Abby is a runaway and Carlos, at least ten or fifteen years older, is worldly with a knowledge of passports and customs. From the start, it’s obvious that Carlos has eyes for Jessie and that she is aware of it. At one point they all get off the train, Roy and Carlos go to look at the steam engine, and Carlos fingers a long iron rod. Back on the train again, Jesse is startled to find her husband not in board. In a panic, she gets off at the next stop to wait for him, hoping he only missed the train. Carlos and Abby get off to be with her.
Already, I had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Here were these American tourists, strangers in a strange land and something felt “off.” No one on the railway is able to turn up any sign of Roy, though, and Jessie soon finds herself under the suspicious eye of a Russian detective (Ben Kingsley) as she becomes ensnared in a plot of heroin and murder.
As it turns out, Roy did miss the train. While waiting, he made the acquaintance of Russian narcotics detective Grinko who is friendly at first but becomes suspicious when Jessie doesn’t answer certain questions to his satisfaction.
I’m not saying that writer/director Brad Anderson is the next Alfred Hitchcock but he has some talents that are reminiscent of the legendary filmmaker. He keeps the story grounded in a sense of reality, never over dramatizes and doesn’t stoop to overused clichés to maintain the suspense. Most importantly, it doesn’t feel like any sequence was added for effect. Every scene grows from the plot and Anderson allows the tension to develop, right up to the final scene. For any fan of good solid suspense, Transsiberian is a must see.
Transsiberian comes to Blu-ray with a 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. The image has impressive depth, shown in the opening shot of the film, that of an old, cold, run-down ship yard, underneath the sky of a dreary, cloudy day. Colors are dull, the imagery matching the harsh Russian exteriors, but the image offers fine attention to detail. Overall, the detail of the transfer is very good. The various woven scarves, clothing, train exteriors and interiors, all feature rich texture and finely-tuned detail that makes the image come alive and sometimes appear to jump off the screen. Black levels are deep and inky, with only a few scenes where the darkest corners of the film brighten above true black. Transsiberian offers viewers a well above average transfer that captures the essence of the film well and looks great in high definition.
Transsiberian sports a satisfactory but ultimately underpowered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Each frame offers an adequate audio solution, though the richness and lifelike realism of the finest lossless tracks is sorely missed throughout. The sound is merely adequate, with inoffensive reproduction, but is certainly not the fulfilling, rich, lifelike experience a lossless track would have brought to the equation.
Transsiberian comes to Blu-ray with only one film-related supplement, entitled Making of Featurette (480p, 33:56). The feature includes interviews with the director, Brad Anderson, who recounts his personal journey on the Trans-Siberian railroad and its influence on what was to become the story, and ultimately this film. The piece also includes interviews with cast members who share their experiences on the film and the characters that inhabit it. The piece looks at the camaraderie between the characters, the director’s style and vision, the film’s small scope and budget, set design, and more.
