The biggest problem with this film is that it doesn't have a point. The only proper reaction to the finale of this movie is to shrug and grumble "Whatever."

An American couple, portrayed by Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer, get on a train crossing Siberia. On the train they meet up with a clearly troubled mixed nationality couple (Kate Mara and Eduardo Noriega) and a Russian narcotics officer (Ben Kingsley). Five people and there's not a likable one in the group. Harrelson's Roy is a affable guy but he's portrayed to be so clueless that he seems mildly retarded in some moments. Kingsley overplays his role, his performance bringing so much gravity to the film that he feels like a transplant from a better movie. Mara, in another film where she is brutalized, and Noriega are a comely couple but have very little to do other than read their lines. At the center of the film is Emily Mortimer who, along with her unstable American accent, offers an uneven performance drifting between scared damsel in distress and jaded slut.

Writer/Director Brad Anderson (The Machinist) has submitted a hollow production that doesn't live up to his resume. Unless you get it for free and have a spot of time you need to waste, there is not reason to watch this film.




Related Reviews:
Other Woody Harrelson movies
After the Sunset (2004)
No Country for Old Men (2007)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
Creative Loafing
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Labels: Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, film, Kate Mara, movie review, Woody Harrelson