Blu-ray Movie Reviews

One of those legendary train trips that people used to dream about taking, the Transsiberian Express has probably seen better days. An American couple, Roy and Jessie, decide to return home the long way from their recent sojourn in Peking and meet another couple from the West, Carlos and Abby, with whom they quickly form that tenuous bond that often unites fellow travelers away from home. When Roy gets separated from the train at a stopover, Jessie begins to realize that their compatriots aren't exactly who or what they seem to be. But the real dangers of their unforgettable trip have only begun to surface; Russian cops, mobsters, and locals are still to come.

I love it when a film surprises me. I really had a different expectation going into this thriller. The film starts you down one path and soon veers to a completely different track. Thrillers are so hit or miss nowadays and this one did a great job of delivering compelling characters and tense situations. Fans of the genre should not miss this one.

The HD video presentation is a winner and full of great contrast and depth. The stark Russian countryside provides a cold backdrop with exceptional black levels and shadow detail. Depth of image is outstanding and fine object detail, especially with the actor’s faces, is excellent. I loved the cold look of the image and the extreme contrast between the snow and dark parts of the image make for a very dimensional look. A solid HD presentation.

First Look has been pretty good about delivering lossless soundtracks for their Blu-ray releases but for some reason they chose to include only a legacy Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack for this one. Thankfully it still holds up pretty well but we like to see lossless support for all films as a minimum. This track provides ample dynamic range courtesy of the train the film centers around and there is a nice sense of atmosphere throughout the film thanks to the subtle nuances of the train and passengers in the soundstage. Dialogue is always very clear and the imaging across the main soundstage is excellent. Tonal balance is very natural and I was impressed with the sense of space the surround soundstage afforded.

Extras include a making of feature that goes behind the scenes and offers some interviews. There are also some trailers for other First Look films.

This one was a real surprise and one of the stronger thrillers I’ve never heard of. First Look did a great job with the video presentation and despite the lossy soundtrack, the audio is still a strong effort. Definitely recommended.