THE MOVIE-                        3 1/2 stars out of 5

 

Think of a more contemporary version of North By Northwest on a train crossing Siberia and you have an idea  of the plot in Transsiberian. The film is directed by Brad Anderson and stars Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Eduardo Noriega, Kate Mara and Ben Kingsley. The film, released by First Look Studios, starts out in Beijing where an American couple (Harrelson and Mortimer) is involved in some social work on behalf of their church. They decide to return home to the US by taking the Trans-Siberian Railroad from Beijing to Moscow. While on the train, they meet a mysterious couple who have a something to hide and who it turns out are being tracked by the Russian police and members of a drug cartel. The American couple end up being caught in a web of lies, drugs and murder and become the targets of an investigation by a Russian police officer and ex member of the KGB and are captured and are hoping to escape with their lives. I really enjoyed this film which is well made, well written and well acted. The film is filled with many tense moments and at times is very graphic in terms of its violence. The film is well paced and kept my attention throughout the entire film, really pulling you into the action and story. This is a very well done film and well worth a look. Recommended.

 

THE VIDEO                        4 5/8 stars out of 5

 

Transsiberian is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1 and is a fine looking encode. As one would expect with a new film, the print is in excellent condition with no dirt or scratches visible. The film itself has a very muted  and stark color palette, in keeping with the rather stark locale which is the backdrop of the film. The film is set in Siberia during winter which as we all know, can be a very bleak place. The color palette matches that bleakness  and was an appropriate artistic choice on the part of the director in my opinion. I have no issue with this choice at all. If you are looking for a bright and colorful looking film, Transsiberian is not the film for you. While the color palette is rather stark, the same can’t be said of the clarity of the image here which is outstanding. Also outstanding is the level of detail and shadow detail. Black level as well is deep and stable resulting in an image of great depth. I found no evidence of edge enhancement or digital noise reduction. Fine textures of the actor’s skin, clothing and backgrounds are clearly visible as is the film grain throughout the entire film. This is an excellent looking encode and has the level of detail and clarity that we have come to expect and demand from Blu-Ray releases. Well done.

 

THE AUDIO-                    4 1/4 stars out of 5

 

While the video presentation here is excellent, the same can’t be said of the audio which does not include a lossless track. The audio here is standard old Dolby Digital of the type found on DVD. The sound here would be quite good for a DVD but not up to the standards we expect from a Blu-Ray release. I have said it once and will say it again, all Blu-Ray film releases should include a lossless track. Unfortunately, this release does not. Don’t get me wrong, the audio on this release does have its high points. The sound of the train is amazing and very realistic sounding, especially the train crash scene which has the appropriate amount of heft and weight that one would expect from a modern film and is very convincing. Good use is made of the surround speakers which are actively engaged throughout, providing a fine sense of immersion and a sense of space, especially during the interior scenes in the train and the abandoned Soviet military base. Where I found the sound here to fall short was in the overall sound quality which I found to be quite harsh, especially when really cranked up. The sound at reference levels is just too hard for my tastes. The sound field also lacks the great sense of depth both front to back and side to side that is the hallmark os a good lossless encode. Quite frankly, this is a quality film that deserves a better audio encode than the standard Dolby Digital included with this release.

 

EXTRAS

 

Other than trailers for other First Look Studios releases, the only extra included with this release is a making of documentary which, unfortunately is not in high definition.

 

IN CONCLUSION

 

I really enjoyed this film and can recommend it without hesitation. This Blu-Ray release boasts an excellent video encode and a less than stellar audio presentation, which, while not up to the level I would have liked, did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the film. Recommended.