Night Train Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Greed has its price.
Two Passengers and the conductor discover that a person has passed away on their Night Train cabin. They come across valuable diamonds on his person, that they wish to keep for themselves. So, to make it look like the man never boarded the train, they conspire to dump his body in a river that the train passes. Their scheme to get rid of the corpse escalates to the point where they have to chop up his body just to fit him into a small trunk. They then become paranoid, as they might turn on each other.
| Harry Anichkin | Walter |
| Geoff Bell | Detective |
| Luca Bercovici | Man |
| Ivo Ivailov Georgiev | Older Brother |
| Danny Glover | Miles |
| Constantine Gregory | Mr. Gutman |
| Togo Igawa | Yamashita |
| Jo Marr | Mr. Cairo |
| Takatsuna Mukai | Hiro |
| Richard O'Brien | Mrs. Froy |
| Matthias Schweighöfer | Frankie |
| Steve Zahn | Pete |
| Sofia Leticia Morales | Younger Sister |
| Yana Atanasova Popova | Little Girl |
| Leelee Sobieski | Chloe |
| Brian King |
5.80 out of 10 (1424 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Entertaining enough
posted on 31 Aug 2009I don't get the point of complaining about the sets or the train. Should only high-budget pics get good ratings?
This film is entertaining enough. The plot is intriguing, and the characters are believable. There is some semi-graphic violence, such as someone getting shot in the eye (the aftermath, not the actual event) and someone getting cut into pieces, but not as bad as some recent movies - perhaps about the level of an episode of "Bones."
Time out, this is not a good film
posted on 31 Aug 2009Look how far Danny Glover has fallen. About the best you say about this film is that it's average cable fare for a SciFi network film (at least there are no gigantic fish or reptiles involved). But the titles are cheesy, the sets are cheesy and the acting is . . . fromage.
The plot doesn't really matter, everything you wanted to know is revealed the minute the participants disclose they didn't see the same thing, you realize at that point this is a "Needful Things" or "Jumanji" type device, and the suspense is instantly gone.
But even if the plot was clever, the production is so tinny you never are able to actually suspend disbelief, no more than you would watching a play put on by your local PTA. All that was put aside the first few seconds of the film, when the initial title hammers it home that this is straight to video. Who thought that title design conveyed respectability? And what's with the price? Laughable.
Modern day Pandora's Box
posted on 31 Aug 2009This movie explores what happens, when a few people taking the, NIGHT TRAIN, discover that a passenger is dead. Initially, it was handled rather matter-of-factly. He had apparently taken some pills with alcohol. It was likely an overdose. But just who was this man---and why was he guarding his possessions so closely, and with such paranoia, when he boarded the train?
Sharing his car were only two other passengers: a young pre-med student (Leelee Sobieski) and a salesman (Steven Zahn). The veteran train conductor (Danny Glover) visits the car, shortly after the salesman notes the passenger deceased. While going through the man's possessions they discover a mysterious box. It can't be opened, but one can peer inside through some carvings in the box. The salesman takes an innocent peek, that will change all of their lives. He becomes almost hypnotically entranced. Each, in turn, follows suit. They all fall under the spell, and each tries to make the possession their own. It becomes a cat and mouse game, of the highest degree. And, why won't that darn box open?
This movie could easily have been on the Sci-Fi Channel, as a modern day version of, 'The Twilight Zone.' The theme was so similar to some of those, where the protagonist's values and moral compass, were put to the test by supernatural forces. And, how quickly, one could find his ethics in a state of total decay. The suggestion always seemed to be, that evil could be unleashed in almost, any man, in the right circumstances, and, with the right temptations. The NIGHT TRAIN is no exception, as it explores these human dynamics and the effects of primal greed.
While I recommend this film for those that enjoy the type of stories told in the old, 'Twilight Zone' series, be warned that the acting is 'B' movie grade. Leelee Sobieski delivers the best performance, showing the most unexpected character change, followed by Steve Zahn. Danny Glover was just, well, Danny Glover. He wasn't challenged enough by this role to stray from his customary style and affect. Secondary characters were minimally developed. They simply drove the story along, or presented obstacles. You will also need to suspend some disbelief. Like why were there so few passengers on this train---and why were they spread so far apart? In some instances, there was only one passenger per train car. It was an unlikely scenario to set the stage.
I watched the Blu-ray version and found the audio/video experience to be quite good. There is also almost an hour's worth of Bonus Features, following this 91 minute film. It is rated 'R', for violent content and some language, so it's not for youngsters.
I can't recommend that you run out and purchase this one, without renting it, first. I picked it up as a rental after reading the synopsis. It hooked me! I had to take the mystery to closure, to learn more about that crazy box, but I think one viewing is enough for me. Did the box ever open? I'm not tellin'. I recommend you grab some popcorn, and hop on board the blood-train to find out. 'ALL A-B-O-A-R-D!'
Night Train is an original gem
posted on 31 Aug 2009I picked this up and it grab me from the beginning to the end.I like movies that don't have big casts romping around causing confusion.A man who lost his ticket boards a train.Danny Glover is the conductor who feels sorry for the man.Leelee Sobieski and Steve Zahn are along for the ride as well.The man without the ticket commits suicide via pills/vodka clutching onto a box.Lets just say its valuable contents makes a person{s} do crazy things.This is a movie that turns betrayal into a whole new level of excitement.No one is safe on this ride....Alittle bit of Hitchcock...a little bit of Raiders of the lost Ark mixed with doublecrossing and selfish motives explode before your eyes.Check out Richard Obriens great performance as a lady on board with her little dog.Great performances all aboard!
You are traveling through another dimension...
posted on 31 Aug 2009This movie is a bit Rod Serling-like. Definitely a good Twilight Zone tale here. "Submitted for your approval, one unique, mysterious, and seemingly impregnable box in the possession of a dead man, that beckons all who gaze into it with a siren song of riches untold..." The greed runs wild as the train rolls down the tracks in a blizzard. This one held my interest throughout. Well acted, IMHO -- and besides, Leelee Sobieski is such a beauty I can watch her in anything. A really fun, unique little film.
Possibly the worst movie ever made?
posted on 31 Aug 2009OK I just rented the video. Hadn't heard anything about the movie but like all 3 of the lead actors. There are low budget movies that sometimes turn out to be little gems, and then there are the low budget movies that are so bad they are good in a perverted kind of way. This one however, has absolutely no redeeming qualities of any kind. First and foremost if you are going to make a movie that takes place on a train, then the least you should do is make it so viewers feel like you are actually on a train. Not so here. For the truly crappy exterior digitally created phony train, and lousy scale models, and the totally unbelievable interior sets, you never for one moment during the entire movie actually believe any of these people are on a train. The story line, if you could call it that makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. Not a clue, nothing is made clearer by the end, and the plot points along the way add to the confusion. I for one think this might be right up there with the worst movies ever made. Yes really that bad. zero stars, zero plot, zero plausibility, zero zero zero. Be forewarned. Final note: if we actually got to see Leelee Sobieski's breasts I would add 1/2 star, but we don't even get that cheap thrill. Oh man was this a stinker of the worst kind. Yes it was.
The Maltese Zone
posted on 31 Aug 2009This Mystery Train Neo-Noir Zone film feels like a Teleplay Production from the 50's; so people will see it as a cable flick. It's not that. Cable wouldn't want this piece of un-marketable tripe when they're filled with top "entertainment"?! Not ready for Sly-Fi Channel and it feels so good. Reality based, the story may pass to the supernatural as well as suspense , gore, mystery and it's a Christmas period chiller.
Most panned this film and I see what they hate; but I also see what was meant to entertain. The story is lumpy but filled with more genres than a multiplex. Digital effects as well as blood-lite gore may be bone to pick; but it was all smooth for me. The style, soundtrack, story, setting, the campy allusions and story work the modest budget. Danny, Steve and Leelee are hot
Bottom line: I will watch this many times for mood and fun.
BD is 1080p, the box says i. Sound cuts well and the picture looks fine but the only reference is to old films...as if,....they were made now.
Not as bad as I thought
posted on 31 Aug 2009Even though this is just a so so film, which first scene makes you wonder if it wouldn't be better to stop watching it at once, and do anything else instead; its plot gets sort of interesting some minutes later, and doesn't bore you as much as you thought it was going to.
Nevertheless, Leelee Sobieski shows what a fine actress as much as and attractive woman she is.
Not the worst Blu this year, but close
posted on 31 Aug 2009The price for this item was given to us as the same for DVD (both very low), which is always a concern but I gave it a shot anyway. A small mistake, made a little worse with how much I enjoyed King's last film in Cypher. All sarcasm aside, this was a train wreck beginning to end.
The story follows three strangers on a train that decide to be greedy and take a dead man's loot for themselves. I like all three actors in Sobieski, Glover and Zahn - but this will be a paycheck for them and little else for being remembered.
The Blu quality and DTS were both average, but the CGI was horrendous and not meant to be in 1080i (one of the few BDs I have seen where it states the "i" for the feature instead of the usual). The special features were VERY dry, and include two documentary supplements that total 50 minutes. Most of the material contains interviews and long sessions of actors talking about nothing. The priceless moment is with Sobieski though. The "Making-of" had spliced footage from the much longer takes in the "Interview Bits", and there was this constant movement behind her chair but you couldn't tell what it was. Once you watch both sets, you realize it is this dog sniffing around for a place to pee, which right when it starts to go on the lamp next to her - they cut it out; a good sign as to how serious these interviews were being taken.
A forgettable film with a lame ending with a below average Blu preservation. Skipper all the way.
Simply.... Awful
posted on 22 Aug 2009I wish I could get back those 2 hours I lost watching this movie. From the beginning you can tell that it was low budget. All the snow falling is CGA, and not good CGA. Same for all the shots of the train flying into the night, looks like a bad cartoon. The acting was also awful, except maybe for Danny Glover. But he can't save the movie. The surroundings and atmosphere make it seen like you're watching a theater piece, not a movie.The plot which at first sounds interesting, will by the end of the movie look like a really bad joke played on us, the viewers.Complete waste of time ! You have been warned.
Unwatchable
posted on 18 Aug 2009This is legitimately one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The dialogue and script are remarkably bad. Zahn, Sobieski, and Glover all give their worst performances (I think they were all just looking for a paycheck) hindered by a plot that is just ludicrous. At every conceivable point, the script chooses to take turns that that are inane. Everyone I watched the movie with would continually ask abject frustration "Why would they do that when they just could have (fill in blank)?" In addition to terrible acting, a ludicrous plot, and a moronic script, the sets just look so out of place. On an ostensibly cross country bound train, less than a dozen riders inhabit vacant train cars. There isn't even any ironic joy to be had by watching this movie. To put it in proper perspective, this movie made me so angry that it prompted me to write this review, something that I have never done in the past. Please, do not waste your time with this tripe.
Well paced, well acted and suspenseful
posted on 12 Aug 2009Leelee Sobieski, Danny Glover, and Steve Zahn give life to their characters as people overcome with greed (or hope) for a better life. What starts out as an innocent "finders keepers" tale turns into a lemming march to destruction.The story is about three strangers whose lives intersect while traveling at night on a train during the Christmas holidays. Sobieski is Chloe, a biology/med student unhappy with her future prospects of following a career not of her choosing. Danny Glover is the aging conductor whose family is desperately in need of additional financial support that he cannot provide. Zahn is a wannabe salesman whose life story seems to be one of alcohol abuse and failure. The story swirls around these strangers as they try to hold onto a box of riches which can fulfill their dreams. Although obviously a low budget production, the suspense is well paced, the action sequences are timed perfectly and the characters are all empathetic (especially Glover's character, the conductor). Only one fault I find with the movie is a couple of minutes of totally unnecessary gore. Otherwise a solid piece of film making and storytelling.
Poor effort
posted on 04 Aug 2009Director/writer Brian King took a screenplay which, at best, would make for a mediocre hour of TV entertainment (think Outer Limits or Twilight Zone) and made an 80s-style movie out of it.The direction is uninspired, tensed scene have absolutely no tension. The editing also smacks of the 80s and makes the action scenes stale. The movie would have been better off concentrating on the psychological aspects of the three protagonists and the relationships between all three.Unfortunately, this is where the movie fails most. With a low budget and no skill for action, one would think Brian King would have concentrated on building an intense cat-and-mouse game between the characters of Miles, Chloe and Peter. But this is not the case. Danny Glover, Leelee Sobieski and Steve Zahn are all well cast for their respective roles but none of them seems completely invested to deliver an outstanding performance, perhaps due to King's direction and a rather bland script.Not worth watching unless you do not mind something that looks like a B grade story in the vein of Edgar Allan Poe and Agatha Christie and shot with the aesthetics of 80s TV movies.All over the world, even in 3rd world countries, people are shooting low budget movies and understand that to compensate for the low budget, one has to have great characters going through interesting situations. Night Train is an example of what guerilla film-making is not about.
solid - ethics (or lack of) meets sci-fi
posted on 04 Aug 2009Not the best movie ever made, but well above average for a low-budget picture. The acting is solid as is the plot and directing. BUT, what was most enjoyable was the ethical story line (similar to "A Simple Plan" or any movie about thieves trying to split their booty - it always leads to deaths) with a twist of sci-fi.All those who keep posting that they should have resolved what the box was or someone should get the riches inside the box ipso facto missed the point of the movie. Whether the box is from aliens or God or the devil or whatever is besides the point. The entire movies is about these people who seek the illusion of riches that they think will make them happy. The cruel reality is that all their greed only equals a corruption of their souls (except for danny glover). Chalk it up to concupiscence.
Amazing Thrill Ride
posted on 02 Aug 2009Night Train is a colorful thriller reminiscent of the short lived Amazing Stories series of the mid-eighties. What begins as a Shallow Grave or a A Simple Plan type of thriller, with a group of strangers discovering what they believe to be a fortune--riches that ultimately turn their lives upside down as everything escalates into murder and betrayal--soon twists into a tale of the supernatural, sort of like Hellraiser without the demons. Nobody is who you think they are. Greed becomes a possessing force. The bodies begin to pile up like luggage. Next stop: Boot Hill. Visually Night Train is a demented Polar Express, a train ride that turns into a nightmare rather than a happy adventure. I enjoyed Danny Glover's performance as the conductor; he takes what could have been just another X-File episode and turns it into something top notch, and some extremely nasty violence keeps the plot from being a typical Outer Limits scenario. This is a must see for fans of pulp fiction.
Slightly surreal train chiller with good build-up but ultimately disappointing
posted on 25 Jul 2009A handful of strangers on a late night winter train journey through a blizzard (last train before Christmas kind of thing) observe a last moment arrival onto the train sit down stressed and popping pills. A salesman offers him a dram of vodka from the stash in his briefcase. The stranger dies from the fatal mixture releasing his clutch on a Christmas present which the other train travellers examine. It's a strange old carved wooden box.Whatever the box contains is not as it seems and its contents has maybe a supernatural ability to affect the passengers who pry which triggers a bizarre and disturbing series of violent crimes. A rather hammy and overacted pseudo-horror.Whilst the film was strange enough to hold my attention, and surreal enough to almost be interesting, I found the ending confusing and extremely unsatisfying. Apart from the poor ending I would give the rest of the film 6.5 stars.
Talk about a morose poorly made flick --- don't bother with this train wreck
posted on 15 Jul 2009This movie was simply morose and more importantly it was just poorly made. Throughout this movie are aerial shots of this Night Train, which were either contrived and produced from sort of model train or animation. Either way, it was downright cheesy, and reminiscent of 1930s movies of the same genre. Maybe that was the intent of the director, but more than likely it was just another lame Hollywood attempt to dupe viewers and save a few bucks. The storyline was frankly stupid, pulling elements from Pandora's Box, Agatha Christie, and even bad 1970s made-for-TV ABC Movie of the Week flicks. I really gave this movie the benefit of the doubt and kept watching hoping it would get better, but it just got worse as the movie progressed. Even the ending was a disaster, quite possibly one of the top 10 dumbest movie endings of all time. This movie is a real train wreck. Don't bother with it.
Though atmospheric, ultimately disappoints
posted on 13 Jul 2009I'm a fan of low budget film-making and I am convinced that from the truly talented filmmakers monetary limitations bring out the best in terms of creativity.Night Train is basically a chamber piece. The whole story takes place within the compartments of a long train riding relentlessly through the darkness on Christmas eve. All the exterior shots are rather cheap looking CGI of the passenger train going ahead in the snow blizzard which in itself is not distracting, on the contrary - the darkness outside increases the gloomy, disturbing atmosphere inside the train. The set design is problematic though. The interior of the train makes it look like we're in the past, early in the last century. I was under the impression that that was the case - even the way people dress in the movie fueled this conviction - but then around 40 minutes into the film one of the characters uses a cell phone.Although the tech credits are okay, by the look of the inside of the train I could see the film was shot somewhere in Eastern Europe and firing up IMDb I saw I was right. So it's not the dodgy CGI but the unnecessarily confusing set design what gives away the low budget of the film.Plotwise it's all seen it all before. Many people refer to Shallow Grave in the threads here - yes, the setup recalls that movie, but then halfway through the story it takes a turn into a far more mysterious direction. Problem is, up until that time the plot is very predictable and goes through the usual motions (albeit in fast forward, given the time constraints) as characters debate what to do with the dead body and the loot, begin to act suspiciously to each other and to outsiders then ultimately turn on each other. This mechanical plot takes over from characterization, so after the twist in the midpoint when events become less predictable it's hard to really care because the characters remain thin and uninteresting.Acting is okay, Danny Glover gives a low-key performance that suits the purposes of the film, while Zahn apparently tries to bring out the best of his clichéd role. Leelee Sobielski is quite convincing at first with her deadpan reactions and attitude but later gives a kind of performance which is borderline comic - I am not sure if this was intentional.The unfortunate set design and some grave credibility issues (I am no expert of US police procedure but the way a detective handles the situation later on in the film seems quite ridiculous, plus even on Christmas it is hard to imagine only a handful of people would take a train that has a dozen carriages, a working bar and kitchen but no other staff than two attendants) make this a slightly worse than average movie.
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solid thriller/sci fi thriller
posted on 31 Aug 2009"night Train" is a good thriller/sci/fi flick that has some very good actors and a decent enough budget to be fun viewing. The movie could have been made at anytime in history though; as the story of people driven mad by greed and disposing of each other is a old one. The location this time is a train and the thriller aspect uses the claustrophobic nature of a train to good effect. At first the movie plays like a typical greed thriller when a passenger dies and everyone wants what he has. the viewer is left to wonder if it's 'diamonds", "gold", or something else?; So for a long while this movie doesn't let on it's science fiction aspects and that only adds a twist to the whole procedings. The train the chaarcters are on is obviously a computer generated imageor cgi train except for the interior shots, but it looks good enough; and on blu ray the whole movie of course looks as good as it can. The cast are all seasoned veterans like Danny Glover, Leelee Sobieski, and Steve Zhan are engaging enough to carry the movie to it's conclusion. This movie is a b movie with a higher budget than most of them and while it's not a great flick it's a good one and it's message about greed is timeless even with a sci-fi element added into it. Of course the best greed movie ever is probably 'The Treasure of the Sierra madre' with Humphrey Bogart , and that one should be seen by everyone. This one is good enough to watch and enjoy though due to it's fine cast