Sundance. Transsiberian.

"The long sidelined subgenre centered on mysterious doings aboard exotic trains is put back on the tracks in Transsiberian, an engagingly up-to-date melodrama steeped in local color and steered by a treacherous sense of morality," writes Variety's Todd McCarthy.

Zoom In's Jim Rohner is glad to see Brad Anderson "skillfully blend crime thriller with human drama. By doing so, he has created an inescapable atmosphere of tension that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the end, proving that he belongs in the upper echelon of today's filmmakers.

The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt finds it "a vigorous, fast-paced tale that entwines plot with character and psychology set against an incredibly exotic backdrop.... Adding to the attractions, Anderson has cagily cast against type in several roles including Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer and Kate Mara, plus Ben Kingsley is on hand to demonstrate once again that he is among the cinema's very best character actors."

"The film is a marital drama meets police thriller and has what every good train ride should: lust, murder, Russian cops, a lot of vodka," writes Harlan Jacobson in USA Today. "And then some: a bag full of heroin, windows nailed shut, a tough female Russian conductor, a train wreck with lives hanging in the balance. And enough suspense to bridge a few plot holes and overripe character details."

Posted by dwhudson at January 20, 2008 1:58 PM