Night Train (2009)
There’s something about a genre slow burn that I just really love. For an example, I like how Pitch Black seemingly is about an escaped convict, only for that convict to turn out to be the absolute least of anyone’s worries. Night Train is something like that, only that slow burn is much slower, but hoo boy, does it reach an inferno by the end of it.
Released direct-to-DVD in 2009 and directed by the relatively-unknown Brian King, Night Train is about two passengers and a conductor who, while on a late night express, witness a man die under mysterious circumstances. Among this passenger’s effects is a strange box, which contains an unbelievable amount of treasure. The three agree (though some more reluctantly than others) to cover up the death and take the riches for themselves.
It most certainly doesn’t stop there.
It’d be hard to truly dive into the great parts of this film without ruining so much of its mystique. As such, know that some of this review might ruin your viewing of it. If the above synopsis draws you in, I highly suggest you watch it before proceeding.
With that out of the way, this is, at its core, something of a cosmic horror story. Yes, it’s ostensibly about a crime and the covering up of said crime. What it’s really about, though, is that damnable box.
As it turns out, what everyone sees in the box is actually different. This is the movie’s biggest strength, because as you start to watch what should be a standard caper unravel in a whole host of wild ways, you start to see that the people in play are at the mercy of some kind of force, a force that has some of them in such a tight grip that it’s liable to strangle them.
This is the majesty of this particular slow burn - it’s not just that the box is its own player in the game, it’s that this is only revealed after some wild turns, with murder and blackmail already thrown onto the table. You’ve already watched people do some of the absolute worst things, and now you’re learning that they aren’t even truly at the reins anymore? It can only get worse.
The myriad ways that it gets worse are how the movie does an honestly fantastic job of ramping up the stakes, as more and more sins begin to pile up for the hapless trio and those around them. As things go metaphorically off the rails (it was required, I’m sorry), you start to wonder just how far the influence of this mysterious, eldritch object can span, and how much it can cause someone to compromise their ethics, morals, or even their very soul.
I can’t possibly do the movie justice, and it being a direct-to-DVD feels like a crime, with amazing performances form Danny Glover, Steve Zahn (a personal fave of mine), and Leelee Sobieski, and a plot that I honestly feel justifies itself in many ways. To me, it’s a buried gem that had no business being buried so deep.
With that box in mind, though, maybe it’s for the best.
