Trans-Siberian comes to DVD

The classic Hitchcock plot of strangers on a train gets an engrossing revival in Trans-Siberian. Writer/director Brad Anderson gives us an artful and shifty take on human strengths and weakness; his film delivers the pleasure of a conventional tale well told, with clever twists and complex characters. Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer bring humanity to their roles as Roy and Jessie, married American missionary volunteers returning from China. The six-day ride from Beijing to Moscow puts the pair in a Hitchcock-like nightmare: They don't know whom to trust, or even if their own actions are right or wrong.

The couple's trip to China wasn't entirely charitable. Roy thought an adventure would be good for his cooling marriage. Before settling down with her nice, dull husband, Jessie was a self-destructive alcoholic. Roy, a train buff, figured that what excited him would thrill Jessie, so he booked their return by rail, a journey she endures with a wan smile.

Her interest picks up when a young couple, Carlos and Abby (Eduardo Noriega and Kate Mara), come aboard. Carlos eyes Jessie with more-than-friendly interest, while Abby remains mysteriously reserved. The backpackers know a lot about faking passports and slipping through customs checkpoints, and it appears they're involved in some sort of shady business. Roy and Jessie become separated (is Carlos to blame?), Jessie leaves the train to wait at the next station and the young couple insist on accompanying her. Soon our conflicted heroine is in touch with the dark side she's spent years trying to suppress.

Anderson is a masterful manager of plot, introducing shocks and clues just when they will be most effective. In keeping with the Hitchcockian tone of the film, the anxiety creeps higher with each new suspicion and revelation. He nonchalantly introduces everyday items: a digital camera, a Russian nesting doll and, a bottle of vodka that will play crucial roles in development of the story.

You can never be certain when a turn of events is coincidence or part of some overarching scheme. When the travelers are joined by Russian police detective Grinko, is he truly on a personal trip or constructing some type of sting operation? The longer we observe these characters, the less they resemble what they purport to be. Harrelson (No Country for Old Men) has never been so relaxed and natural, and his innocent Midwestern tone is one of the most credible representations of the film. Mortimer (Lars and the Real Girl), makes Jessie a nesting doll of courage, guilt, pride, fear and vulnerability. Ben Kingsley, who's seemingly is making a movie a minute, brings enigmatic intensity to the role of Grinko, a man who has seen Russian regimes come and go, leaving only corruption and opportunism behind.

During the film you may feel certain about your train of thought, but Trans-Siberian will derail it time and again. Find it at your local DVD rental store now.