''Night Train'' is a 2009

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

thriller film produced by Rifkin-Eberts Productions and stars

Danny Glover Danny Lebern Glover (; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. He also had leading roles in his films include ...

Leelee Sobieski Liliane Rudabet Gloria Elsveta "Leelee" Sobieski (born June 10, 1983) is an American artist and former actress. She achieved fame in her teens with roles in films such as '' Deep Impact'', ''Eyes Wide Shut'', '' Joy Ride'', '' Here on Earth'', a ...

Steve Zahn Steven James Zahn (; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. His film roles include ''Reality Bites'' (1994), ''That Thing You Do!'' (1996), ''Stuart Little'' (1999), '' Shattered Glass'' (2003), ''Sahara'' (2005), '' Chicken Li ...

and

Matthias Schweighöfer Matthias Schweighöfer (; born 11 March 1981) is a German actor, voice actor, film director, and producer. Early life Born in Anklam, Western Pomerania, Schweighöfer attended Berlin's renowned acting school Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Art ...

. It pays homage to a variety of classic suspense films such as '' Strangers on a Train'' (1951), ''

The Lady Vanishes ''The Lady Vanishes'' is a 1938 British mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. Written by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder, based on the 1936 novel ''The Wheel Spins'' by Ethel L ...

'' (1938), and '' The Maltese Falcon'' (1941), though the plot bears only passing resemblance to any of them. The film did not appear in theaters and was released on DVD for US markets in July 2009.

Plot

One Christmas night, a man runs through a forest carrying something. A nearly deserted train pulls into a station, and two conductors get out, take a stretch, and kill time as no one seems to board. Just as the train is about to depart, the running man calls out, runs to the train, and seems to want to board. He does not speak and, assuming that perhaps he does not know English, the conductors let him on with the intention of getting his money later. He joins two of the only five passengers who appear to be on the train at that point. One of the passengers, an inebriated salesman named Pete (Steve Zahn), offers the man a drink. The man downs a mouthful of pills, then washes them down with the vodka. Soon after, the man dies as a result of ingesting Seconal combined with alcohol, which causes his heart and lungs to stop working. Upon this discovery, Pete and another passenger, medical student Chloe (Leelee Sobieski), locate the head conductor, Miles (Danny Glover), and alert him to what has happened. Miles intends to call the authorities at the next stop, but Pete discovers a mysterious object in the box the dead man was carrying and, peering inside, is intrigued. Chloe also looks inside the object and they immediately, convinced that there is a liberating fortune inside, scheme for ways to keep it. They suggest the idea to Miles, who tells them they're crazy and takes the object and the box it was in back to his office, purportedly to keep it safe and call the authorities, but he too peers inside and his will is overcome. With a crazed Chloe taking the lead, the three decide to dispose of the man's body and keep the treasure for themselves. Their only problems now are keeping anyone else from finding out, warding off the other suspicious passengers as well as the other conductor, and keeping a close eye on one another, as paranoia takes hold and the box's influence continues to do its work. Eventually, it is revealed that the box contains a supernatural force of some kind, and that whoever looks into it sees what would tempt them the most, dooming them to corruption and death before dawn. The last survivor, Miles, lives only long enough to attempt to destroy the device by placing it in the path of an oncoming train, but dies just after seeing it nudged off the tracks by a curious dog. Ultimately, a random toddler-age child wandering alone in the middle of nowhere, miles from any city, town, or train station, picks up the box, looks inside, and smiles.

Cast

as Miles *

as Chloe *

as Pete *

as Frankie * Takatsuna Mukai as Hiro *

Togo Igawa , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor who works primarily in British films and television. In recent years, he has had roles in major films such as ''Revolver'', ''Memoirs of a Geisha'', ''The Last Samurai'', and ''A Matter of Size'' ...

as Yamashita *

Richard O'Brien Richard Timothy Smith. known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, composer, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has remained in conti ...

as Mrs. Froy * Jo Marr as Mr. Cairo *

Constantine Gregory Constantine Gregory (born Constantine Liebert, September 16, 1942) is an American actor, dialect coach, and voice actor. Until 1983 he was usually credited as Constantin de Goguel. Life and career He was born of a Dutch father and Russian–born m ...

as Mr. Gutman * Harry Anichkin as Walter * Geoff Bell as Detective

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Night Train 2009 films 2009 independent films 2000s mystery thriller films 2000s supernatural horror films American independent films American Christmas horror films American mystery thriller films American supernatural thriller films Crime horror films Films set on trains Films shot in Bulgaria American mystery horror films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films