Plot: What’s it about?
Leon (Bradley Cooper) has a passion for photography, but he spends more time getting crime scene shots than doing the stuff he loves. When his friend arranges for him to meet with a high end art dealer (Brooke Shields), he is told his work is good, but needs to be braver and more powerful. So Leon heads out at night, follows some streets hoods and captures images of the men getting ready to rape a young woman. He steps in and points out the security cameras, the girl is safe, and he gets the shots. But when the girl is reported missing the next morning, Leon is perplexed. As she searches for more powerful shots, he crosses paths with a strange man (Vinnie Jones) who captures his attention. The more he follows the man, the more Leon is convinced that he is a murderer who preys on the subway’s late night passengers. But has Leon just snapped under the pressure or is a madman on the loose killing those who step aboard the midnight meat train?
I had high hopes for The Midnight Meat Train, as it was based on Clive Barker’s short story and directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, of Versus fame. This unrated director’s cut seemed to promise intense chills, eerie atmosphere, and buckets of blood. I have to admit, I was let down by this film from the first scene to the last. The plot makes no sense, ignoring common sense and character motivation, just doing whatever is needed to move to the next scene. As if the thin, poorly handled plot wasn’t enough, the ample gore is done through visual effects. This leads to some of the least effective blood baths I’ve ever seen, with low rent blood gushes and severed eye balls that look worse than Sega Dreamcast graphics. This movie is just a mess, from the lame gore to the haphazard plot, not to mention the lack of real scares or even tension. The Midnight Meat Train is a thrills free ride that even genre diehards will be better off not boarding.
Video: How does it look?
The Midnight Meat Train is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This looks great, with the film’s dark visuals coming through without a hitch. The image has impressive depth, with even the darker scenes showing off solid detail and most scenes looking downright spectacular. The added resolution does reveal how poor the visual effects are, but such is a small price to pay for such an impressive visual experience. The colors are natural, but lean toward the muted side, but when the blood spatters, those reds light up and then some. This isn’t quite up there with Blu-ray’s best, but The Midnight Meat Train looks excellent.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Midnight Meat Train is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This looks great, with the film’s dark visuals coming through without a hitch. The image has impressive depth, with even the darker scenes showing off solid detail and most scenes looking downright spectacular. The added resolution does reveal how poor the visual effects are, but such is a small price to pay for such an impressive visual experience. The colors are natural, but lean toward the muted side, but when the blood spatters, those reds light up and then some. This isn’t quite up there with Blu-ray’s best, but The Midnight Meat Train looks excellent.
Supplements: What are the extras?
I didn’t care for the film, but writer Clive Barker and director Ryuhei Kitamura provide an excellent audio commentary. This is one of the more candid sessions in a long while, as the two talk about the ups and downs of the project. This includes the cuts made for the theatrical version, Lionsgate’s poor promotion of the film, and other interesting topics. This one pulls no punches, though little time is devoted to how inconsistent the final product turned out. This disc also includes three brief featurettes, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
