Train DVD Review
Train DVD Review
Dangers on a train
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I've always been a sucker for scary movies set on trains (everything from Terror Train to Transsiberian), plus I like the film's single name-star, Thora Birch.
On the other hand, the torture-porn setting isn't my favorite. Train has a lot going against it. A Saw-meets-Hostel-meets-Touristas premise, clichéd set-ups, and head-shakingly dumb characters.
And yet, I liked it. For one thing, Train reminded me a so-good-it's-bad European exploitation film from a bygone era. What's more, the death scenes are not only gruesome and well-executed, but they have suspense leading up to them and suffering in the aftermath. If somebody's going to make a by-the-numbers slasher, the flick might as well have some punch to it. Train does. It makes the most of its limited milieu, which is more than I can say for some others of its ilk.
Birch plays Alex, an American champion wrestler who's in Russia for an important match along with her teammates Sheldon (Kavan Reece), Claire (Gloria Votsis), and boyfriend Todd (Derek Magyar). The foursome begin their descent into trouble when they go to an all-night rave with their coach's no-good assistant, Willy (Gideon Emery). Coach (Todd Jensen) is furious with the athletes for risking their health, and madder still that they've missed their train to the next competition. But our hung-over heroes think they can salvage their slipup, and head off to the station to catch the next train to Odessa. Of course, it's a one-way ticket to their doom.
Nothing new here, for sure. But the casting is excellent. Not only are the protagonists fun and interesting to watch, but so are the villains. Obviously inspired by seriously off-kilter baddies cast by the likes of Dario Argento and David Lynch, writer/director Gideon Raff pulled out all the stops and punched every ticket when looking for his evildoers. Slinky, sexy, sylphlike Dr. Velislava (Koina Ruseva) is hot and frosty at the same time; the demented, tormenting twins are just sooooo wrong; and the invincible, unstoppable conductor of cruelty has more lives in him than Jason and Freddy put together.
Eye-rolling medical misconduct aside ("Forget the corneas, kid. We'll transplant the entire orb!" "Can't get it up? Here's a brand-new penis, sir!"), and impossible feats of physical combat (it's astounding what people can supposedly survive)Train still keeps on track as far as macabre, sadistic, grand guignol goes. Worth the rental ride, once.
The DVD extras are few, but the making-of featurette was actually a cut above. Not that it was especially well-made or presented with much flourish, but the actors and filmmakers were really good at articulating the why and how. Usually these "everybody is great!" glad-handing gabfests are pretty dull, but I was actually impressed by what everyone had to say — especially the cinematographer, Martina Radwan, whose work I really liked (I'm very interested to see how she's shot the upcoming documentary film, Beautiful Darling [about Andy Warhol's protégé, Candy Darling]).
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson