I Can't Eat This

Archive for July, 2010

Hi! I’m back after a while of….??? Whatever!

I watched Transsiberian, yesterday. A Film co-written and directed by Brad Anderson, the guy who brought us the great Machinist.

The plot is mostly set on the transsiberian railway. Starred by Woody Harrelson (in a very untypical role), Ben Kingsley (this man is really a chameleon, as a Russian narcotics detective), Thomas Kretschmann (in a role where he has no full line to speak!), Emily Mortimer (as Woody’s wife), Kate Mara and Eduardo Noriega (co-passengers in Woody’s and Emily’s cabin).

The film starts with Grinko (Kingsley) coming to a crime scene on a little Russian transporter ship. In about a short time you can figure out that the whole thing got something to do with smuggling drugs. Grinko tells the other policemen that he has to go on a business trip now and leaves the scene.

CUT

Now Jessie (Mortimer) and Roy (Harrelson) are introduced. We see them at a closing event of a social project in China, where they took part in. Then they’re heading back to the US, but not by plane, no. Roy wants to ride by the transsiberian railway. He has a weakness for trains, so this is some kind of climax in his personal experience. Jessie looks like she finds this idea so-so. One or two days later – the trip on the transsiberian railway from Beijing to Moscow lasts five days and six nights – their cabin-mates Abby (Mara) and Carlos (Noriega) join them, claiming they have been teaching English in Japan. If it is so or not, please figure out by yourself. (ssshhhh….Carlos is such a smeary guy, I didn’t believe him from the first second.)

I know, this is a very rough introduction, but I don’t want to get into detail too much.
Just one or two things more to tell: Everyone of the six persons has got a past, she/he don’t really want to share with the others. Most of the things happen turn out to something different. Anderson knows how to build up suspense. If you’ve seen The Machinist you know what I mean. If not, do it! As soon as possible! And then, or before that, watch Transsiberian.

This is not a Hollywood movie. Like The Machinist, which was produced and filmed in Spain, Transsiberian is an European production. This time realised by German, Spanish, Latvian and British filmsponsors. And that’s more than ok. The film has such a dry and somekind of documentary look, you don’t expect and will never get from Hollywood.

Anderson used his own experience from 1988 for writing the script. He studied Russian language and to deepen his knowledge about land, language and people he took a trip on the Transsib. More about to hear and see in the making-of included on the DVD.

Transsiberian on imdb.com
The Machinist on imdb.com