Night Train

I'm a fan of low budget film-making and I am convinced that from the truly talented filmmakers monetary limitations bring out the best in terms of creativity.

Night Train is basically a chamber piece. The whole story takes place within the compartments of a long train riding relentlessly through the darkness on Christmas eve. All the exterior shots are rather cheap looking CGI of the passenger train going ahead in the snow blizzard which in itself is not distracting, on the contrary - the darkness outside increases the gloomy, disturbing atmosphere inside the train. The set design is problematic though. The interior of the train makes it look like we're in the past, early in the last century. I was under the impression that that was the case - even the way people dress in the movie fueled this conviction - but then around 40 minutes into the film one of the characters uses a cell phone.

Although the tech credits are okay, by the look of the inside of the train I could see the film was shot somewhere in Eastern Europe and firing up IMDb I saw I was right. So it's not the dodgy CGI but the unnecessarily confusing set design what gives away the low budget of the film.

Plotwise it's all seen it all before. Many people refer to Shallow Grave in the threads here - yes, the setup recalls that movie, but then halfway through the story it takes a turn into a far more mysterious direction. Problem is, up until that time the plot is very predictable and goes through the usual motions (albeit in fast forward, given the time constraints) as characters debate what to do with the dead body and the loot, begin to act suspiciously to each other and to outsiders then ultimately turn on each other. This mechanical plot takes over from characterization, so after the twist in the midpoint when events become less predictable it's hard to really care because the characters remain thin and uninteresting.

Acting is okay, Danny Glover gives a low-key performance that suits the purposes of the film, while Zahn apparently tries to bring out the best of his clichéd role. Leelee Sobielski is quite convincing at first with her deadpan reactions and attitude but later gives a kind of performance which is borderline comic - I am not sure if this was intentional.

The unfortunate set design and some grave credibility issues (I am no expert of US police procedure but the way a detective handles the situation later on in the film seems quite ridiculous, plus even on Christmas it is hard to imagine only a handful of people would take a train that has a dozen carriages, a working bar and kitchen but no other staff than two attendants) make this a slightly worse than average movie.

'Night Train' is sort of a chamber movie that takes place in the compartments of a train. Made at a low budget (which actually works to its benefits), the film uses glowing lights. This adds to the tense atmosphere and mystery element and the bright colours used within the train compartments bring a feeling of illusion. The story starts off interesting but is downright predictable not to forget the typical Hollywood ending which brings the film down by a huge notch. Acting is okay. Danny Glover is restrained (which is quite unexpected of such films). Steve Zahn's Pete is a caricature but the actor infuses some humour and provides comic relief. Leelee Sobieski is good in the beginning but her performance heads towards 'cliched psychopath' as the film proceeds. Overall, in terms of story it doesn't offer anything new and there are plenty of plot holes but what I liked about it was the atmosphere within the train compartments. It sort of looks like a noire film in colour. The use of bright colours, the strange passengers, the characters: salesman, med student and ticket conductor and music create contribute to this bizarre atmosphere. I also liked how the wooden box was symbolically used. Pandora's box is the first thing that comes to mind and the writer could have done so much with it, but alas!

I saw this for the first time recently. Was on my radar for a little time.

I like horror n thriller movies set in a moving train.

I dont kno why people have taken the names of Strangers on a Train n The Lady Vanishes or Maltese Falcon cos these movies are great n Night Train is a just a small lil thriller.

Midnight Meat Train came to my mind while viewing the dvd cover n when I started the movie Polar Express came to my mind.

The movie is predictable especially regarding the fellow passengers n even more predictable with the lady with a dog.

The scene where they transport the dead body from one compartment to another n that too while trying to evade other fellas, lacks tension n looks very foolish.

We have Matthias Schweighöfer before he became famous aft Army of Thieves.

" Night Train" is a quirky and hard to define movie, but nevertheless an enjoyable experience. Its seems to be a dedication to the golden oldies of the 1940's, the era of Peter Lorre , Sidney Greenstreet and other amazing character actors that all but disappeared these days. The plot is a strange mix of thriller, comedy ,slasher and even religious metaphor about greed. And, unfortunately it is where some of its troubles begun. The talented director seems to hop from one genre to another like a confused fly. It adds to a certain level of frustration in this little irritated albeit good natured viewer. To sum it up: I'll rather have a bit troubled effort than stale and predictable rubbish.

Sometimes the synopsis of a film just calls out to me. I can't always put my finger on exactly what it is, but something just screams at me that I have to see that film. Quite often it leads me down the track of watching some abysmal films, but that was not the case when it came to 'Night Train'. What I found instead was a little gem (so to speak).

I love films set entirely in one place. Always have done. And trains are one of my favourite settings too because although they're all one place, each cabin can be entirely different, and characters can be in the story without a clue as what is actually going on around them. 'Night Train' was a surprisingly suspenseful ride from start to finish. It achieved what very few modern horror/thrillers manage to do and that is to get me on the edge of my seat and keep me there. Leelee Sobieski had a lot to do with this. She was a real presence on the screen and kept me hooked with everything she said and did.

There's a real creepy atmosphere throughout this one. It has very much a 'Twilight Zone' feel to it, only with slightly better actors, a little more action and obviously a touch longer. I also loved the underlying psychology of the story. We really are a strange race sometimes. I loved this film and if you are able to track it down somewhere please give it a watch. You'll be pleased you did.