Night Train (BD)

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night-train

Filmmakers over the decades have been fascinated by trains as a site because of the "unknown" and mystical space or realm that trains represent. More so, the relative ease with which a person can get off a train after committing a crime presents various scenarios for a thriller movie. A notable list of movies starting with Buster Keaton's "The General" (1927) and Alfred Hitchcock's "The Vanishing Lady" (1938) and "Strangers on a Train" (1951) to more modern hits such as John Frankenheimer's "The Train" (1964) and Sidney Lumet's "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974) have all used trains as a backdrop against which the main plot of the film unfolds. After watching "Night Train," I could not help but see the similarities between this movie and Brad Anderson's "Transsiberian" (2008).

The opening credit sequence of "Night Train" shows a man running through a forest with a box in his hand. Eventually, the mysterious man ends up on a station where a veteran conductor, played by Danny Glover allows him to board the train without a ticket. The man dies soon after the train departs the station, leaving a mysterious box in the hands of two passengers played by a pre-med student, Leelee Sobieski, and a salesman, played by Steve Zahn. All three characters find themselves intrigued by the contents of the box and their interpretation of the contents varied greatly. However, it was clear to them that the box had valuables and each wanted their share. What follows is a domino effect as greed overpowers each one of the characters. The movie builds to a climax but delivers an ending that is not as satisfying as the promise of the opening sequence.

Brian King mentions in the extra feature that he intended to create a noir motivated by "The Maltese Falcon" (1941). After watching this film, I found more similarities to Danny Boyle's "Sunshine" (2007). Both films ended up as slasher flicks which is different from what the filmmakers set up in the beginning of each movie. However, "Night Train" fails badly in comparison to "The Maltese Falcon," a timeless classic. The box embodies a mystical presence throughout the movie. No answers are provided where the box came from or how it was in the possession of a man that boarded the train in the first place. The three main characters seem to act with no purpose or logic. Instead, they all collectively engage in a series of grisly events with the goal of trying to deceive the law. These repetitive events try to create tension in the film, though it seems contrived.

None of the actors stood out in the acting department. I think the filmmakers should have spent more time in devising a script with engaging characters and a story. The low budget nature of the movie is evident by the CG shots of the train from outside. Not that it is a bad thing since most of the movie takes place inside the cabin car.


Video:
The specifications on the box indicate that the video is rendered in a 1080i, 1.78:1 widescreen format. The movie has somewhat of a dreamy look to it. Because of this, I felt at times the image was a bit soft on a few occasions. However, for the most part, this movie has a solid HD transfer. The snow which forms an important part of the movie is rendered beautifully along with solid black levels and contrast. Having said this, I felt that the video could have retained some grain to give it a film like texture. I believe DNR was applied although it never destroys the overall experience. For a low budget movie like this, I was pleasantly surprised with this transfer.


Audio:
National Entertainment Media, Inc has included a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix for this BD release, along with regular 5.1 Dolby surround sound. The movie for most part is front-channel driven. This mix provides more depth to dialogue. On a couple of occasions I had to raise the volume as I could not hear the dialogue clearly. To me it seemed that the dialogue wae sampled at a lower volume than the rest of the movie. However, whenever we see the train rumbling on the tracks from the outside, we get a good workout from all the channels. Overall, a fairly competent track when compared to similar BD releases.


Extras:
The disc contains a fifty-minute promotional extra where the director and producer talks about their motivation for the movie specifically from "The Maltese Falcon" and their tight budget. The crew also engages in a discussion about the CG and sets involved for "Night Train". This extra feature is letterboxed and not enhanced for widescreen TVs. Also, included in the disc is a Photo Gallery and trailer.


Parting Thoughts:
Before I got this movie to review, I had never heard of "Night Train." I got somewhat interested when I saw Danny Glover as one of the actors in this movie. The homage to old noir films and Hitchcockian thrillers does not really come through for me. More so, the unfocused script quickly evaporated my minimal expectations. The filmmakers were more focused on showing senseless hacking and slashing instead of creating a true sense of tension in the film.

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