O Último Passageiro

Saw this as a preview at Pinewood Studios recently and was caught by surprise at how accomplished it is as a first movie. Director and co- screenwriter, Omid Nooshin has crafted an intelligent and genuinely suspenseful take on a (to be fair) not-so-original idea – the runaway train.

Populated by believable characters, the train journey gets underway and a clever introduction of the various relationships ensues. The number of passengers on board dwindles to an eclectic few, seemingly in real time, before this familiar and very British late train to Kent is invaded by the plot of a Hollywood Blockbuster. And this merger is the heart and soul of the piece – a 'what if?' scenario that sneaks out of nowhere, pulling the rug on what you thought you were watching.

If I had to level any major criticism it would be that the films ultimate ambitions are occasionally betrayed by its lack of budget, but don't let that put you off – a number of creative decisions were probably based around what couldn't be afforded and, in my opinion, are improved by the inability to throw lavish visual effects at the screen. What we are left with is a taut, claustrophobic thriller that's hard to second guess.

The film makers influences are easy to spot, the 'Dual' like scenario and the rattling interplay between a collection of disparate ('Jaws'- like) characters screams early Spielberg, whilst the slow build of simmering tension, as the reality of the situation takes hold, evokes the sensibilities of Hitchcock, as does the Herrmann-esque score. The setting doesn't stray from the confines of the train, which in a way becomes a character itself, although thankfully it never feels too static, nor becomes stale. This is a thriller that takes its time to present a credible realism – all the better so that when the brief flashes of chaos and action do erupt we are invested in the characters lives and the predicament they face becomes a life threatening battle for survival with, only too real, motive and consequence.

To reveal the details of some of the emotionally charged scenes would be remiss, save to say that Dougray Scott turns in a performance of restrained gravitas that recalls the promise of his earlier work. In fact the cast seem uniformly intent on selling the danger and urgency of the piece.

All in all, I found Last Passenger to be a thoroughly entertaining film that I'll be seeking out again when it's released on the big screen in the UK.

There is nothing wrong with this movie and it's a darned sight better than many others out there. Good acting, excellent FX (for it's low budget), good suspense, explosions, interesting characters - a love story & a cute kid. What more do people want?

I really don't understand the angry hate being thrown at that poor child actor - guys, he's a 7 year old CHILD! ROFL Are you expecting an Oscar- worthy performance? I actually think he did an outstanding job and was very believable unlike many of the Hollywood child-faves who so often come across as way too adult and precocious to convince me.

As for all the high-horse comments about the accuracy of certain details - come on... really? Personally I couldn't give a hoot about what trains run where or how railway couplings really work and know nothing about London's train service or how far things are from other things in jolly old England. If you do then congratulations, you know stuff I don't. But it doesn't really matter in the slightest for this movie and viewers like me don't know or care. It's fiction, roll with it, I don't know of any movie that's 100% believable or factual, not even documentaries.

Anyway - if you're looking for a light thriller that's well produced and a little different rent it and enjoy. It's not the greatest thriller ever made but it's not a bad little flick.

Lately I haven't been able to concentrate on most movies. I finally decided that I had seen so many films that my Netflix list had moved into second and third tier films. While "Last Passenger" isn't the be-all and end-all of action/adventure films, it was certainly entertaining and exciting.

Most of these types of films, including high-end James Bond movies, have pretty preposterous plots and action sequences. It's been pointed out that this film is very inaccurate as far as the mechanics of trains, the train stops on this particular line, and today's fail-safe mechanisms. The average person doesn't know that.

This is a wild film, highly improbable, and thrilling, with attractive stars Dougray Scott and Kara Toinin. The ruggedly-handsome Scott does a job as a loving father determined to protect his son, and Kara Toinin is both gorgeous and sympathetic. The two have great chemistry. Lindsay Duncan, whom I saw in person in Private Lives, is a marvelous actress. Though she has a small part here, she's wonderful and classy. I enjoyed all the acting, even if the little boy here is no Leonardo di Caprio in the making.

I get a little tired of people criticizing films as if, for instance, a movie like this is supposed to be Citizen Kane when it isn't. I don't understand taking a film apart frame by frame and criticizing it, unless, of course, it's a boring, horrid, pretentious film. However, no one seems to do that with boring, horrid, pretentious films. When I look at IMDb reviews, those are the films that are hailed as "classics" that "demand multiple viewings." Well, David Lynch movies might demand multiple viewings, but others don't -- by me, anyway, since often I can't through five minutes of them. Sometimes it's enough that a film is fast moving, entertaining. where one cares about the characters.

So there, I liked it. Chacun à son goût.

As amazing as it seems, Britain has managed to churn out a B-movies that doesn't include a single zombie, no (middle-class actors playing) cockney gangsters and not a reel of found footage in sight. Instead, what we have here is a kind of 'Speed' film.

Dougray Scott plays a single father, who's taking his young son on the train just before Christmas. Unfortunately for him and the handful of passengers left on board (including the single female of appropriate age who just so happens to find single fathers REALLY attractive), the train refuses to stop and they must work out a way of getting off before it smashes into whatever there is at the end of train tracks in Britain (a wall of spikes, perhaps? I don't actually know).

So, what you have is a reasonably passable British thriller, which, at some points, manages to hit the right notes. The train is a familiar setting (at least for us Brits, anyway) and so makes a relatable place (plus I'm guessing it was a pretty cheap set for the film-makers). However, unlike Keanu Reeves' classic action movie, where the bus couldn't slow down and was in perilous danger at every turn, the train just stays on the tracks. Effectively, the few passengers left on board could just sit around in relative comfort for most of the movie, only really needing to figure out a way of getting off five minutes before the end. Therefore, you have a fair amount of time where they're doing just that.

The other downside is the kid. Yes, I know kids in films get a bad name, but this one really isn't that good. Luckily, he's not in it that much, but when he is you'll wish he wasn't.

Overall, not bad for a film on the cheap. If you're bored of zombies, gangsters and found footage B-movies you may enjoy this one (just don't dwell on the slightly dodgy computer special effects when the train catches fire).

http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

The widow Dr. Lewis Shaler (Dougray Scott) and his son Max (Joshua Kaynama) are traveling late night by train to London. Lewis will leave Max with his grandparents to attend victims of a great accident at the hospital where he works. When Max accidentally spills coffee on the coat of the promoter Sarah Barwell (Kara Tointon), Lewis is embarrassed and offers to pay for the cleaning of her coat. Soon they start a conversation and feel attracted for each other. When the train stops, Lewis sees a man on the track apparently fixing the brakes. When the trains moves, he sees another man crawling on the tracks. Lewis seeks out the train guard (Samuel Geker-Kawle) and finds that he is missing. Further, the train does not stop at the stations. He tries to contact the driver that asks how many passengers are still on board and nothing else. Lewis contacts the passengers Jan Klimowski (Iddo Goldberg), Peter Carmichael (David Schofield) and Elaine Middleton (Lindsay Duncan) and they team-up expecting to stop the train. Soon they conclude that the train has no brake and the driver is a suicidal. What will happen to them?

"Last Passenger" is a tense and effective low budget thriller. The story takes place in a train along 97 minutes running time and is never boring. The chemistry between Dougray Scott and the gorgeous Kara Tointon is amazing and their romance is pleasant to see. The conclusion is a little confused but this film is surprisingly good. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Último Passageiro" ("The Last Passenger")