Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Transsiberian
2008
**½
Director: Brad Anderson
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Kate Mara, Eduardo Noriega, Thomas Kretschmann, Ben Kingsley

Roy and Jessie are a do-gooder American couple who meet a mysterious Spaniard named Carlos and his quiet American girlfriend Abby on the Trans-Siberian train from Beijing to Moscow. Brad Anderson's thriller starts off like Bitter Moon; the two contrasting couples develop an odd relationship and the sexual tension increases between Jessie and Carlos. The script cleverly manipulates our expectations, and the twist about halfway in really comes as a surprise. This development should free the plot to go into unexpected territories, but instead it steers its towards clichés. In the second half, the film turns into an implausible morality tale, which becomes increasingly irritating. If only one third of Americans hold a passport, this xenophobic story is not going to convince the other two thirds to acquire one. The rude, corrupt, and deceitful foreigners are out there to exploit the American goodwill.