STUDIO: First Look
RELEASE DATE: November 4, 2008
STARRING: Emily Mortimer, Woody Harrelson, Kate Mara, Eduardo Noriega, Thomas Kretschmann, and Ben Kingsley
WRITTEN BY: Brad Anderson & Will Conroy
DIRECTED BY: Brad Anderson
FEATURES: "Making of Transsiberian"

Transsiberian is the most underrated thriller of the year, a must-see for all fans of anything that could remotely be called "Hitchcockian". It's a master class in tension from one of the most interesting young directors alive (Session 9, The Machinist) and it completely slipped under everyone's radar when it played in theaters for about a week earlier this year. The film barely made a dent in the national consciousness but I can guarantee you that it will build a following on DVD and Blu-Ray. Movies this good always do. The remarkably good Transsiberian contains not only one of the most refreshing and surprising screenplays of the year from an emerging and fascinating writer/director but also one of the best actress performances of the year from the always-fantastic Emily Mortimer (Redbelt, Chaos Theory). This variation of Strangers on a Train would make Hitch himself proud and I can't recommend it highly enough. The Blu-Ray release is tragically light on special features, but so few people saw the movie that just how good a flick they missed in theaters will be special enough to most viewers.

The title refers to the Trans-Siberian rail line, which runs through Asia from Beijing to Moscow. Connecting two of the biggest cities in the world, the line goes through a nearly unpopulated and gigantic chunk of frozen tundra. Travelers face an off dichotomy - the inherently claustrophobic nature of traveling in a speeding tin can with "bedrooms" that sleep four in a space smaller than your closet at home and the daunting expanse of a part of the world where if you wander off the barely beaten path, no one will ever see you again. A pair of travel-weary Americans, Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Mortimer), who are having relationship issues of their own, enter this world where they've heard nothing but horror stories about Russian drug dealers and abusive police. They find some comfort in their new English-speaking cabin mates, Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara) but while Roy is quick to drink and socialize, Jessie senses danger. Why does someone as young as Abby have so many stamps in her passport? Why does Carlos collect nesting dolls? Why won't he take no for an answer when the recovering Jessie turns down a drink? Our poor heroine has no idea what she's about to go through in Transsiberian.

And neither do you. What Hitch did so well was to always stay a step ahead of his audience. He led you by the nose, showing you only what he needed to in order to keep you interested, and only to exactly where he wanted you to go. There's such directorial confidence in his classic movies. It's there in the way Anderson handles Transsiberian too. Yes, there are a few decisions that Roy and Jessie make that you/she/I probably wouldn't make in the real world but the way that Anderson handles the material and the perfect performance he directs out of Mortimer make the disbelief easier to suspend. Mortimer has become one of the most consistent actresses of her generation and she turns Jessie into a completely believable, three-dimensional character caught in a Siberian nightmare. It's one of my favorite performances of the year. The final act torpedoes a bit of the claustrophobic believability of the first two but it's only something you'll think about later, not while you're actually enjoying this riveting thriller.

Clearly, I love the movie, but the Blu-Ray? Eh. The video and audio are good, but not great, and the lack of a commentary or extensive collection of special features is disappointing. Anderson and Mortimer on an audio track would have been a Blu-Ray highlight of the month. However, the one "Making of" featurette is better than average, running over half an hour long. This is not just standard talking-head stuff. It chronicles the film from inception through post-production. (For more on the making of Transsiberian, check out my interview with Kate Mara earlier this year.) But no deleted scenes or commentary track is disappointing. I understand it. The movie still needs to build an audience. After it does, this is a case where I won't mind the double dip because I'm definitely going to ride this train more than once.