Hello you little mutants, The Old Monster has a review for you. This should help kill off a few of those tedious hours while you wait for Halloween to get here. Gods know I could use the diversion, this place is quiet as a tomb right now and nowhere near as pleasant. So, why don’t you all take a moment away from your election frustrations and sink your fangs into this tidbit:
THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN
Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura
Based on the short story by Clive Barker.
Another movie that deserved a major release and didn’t get one. This one is based on a story from Clive Barker’s BOOKS OF BLOOD: The Midnight Meat Train. This movie is one of those rarities that follows the story it was based upon very closely, if not exactly. You’ll never hear me complain about that, kiddies, unless the story sucks. This one does not. This movie isn’t high art mind you. It’s a well regimented, gripping and visually intense horror movie free of pretense. Sadly, it was also free of a major promotional package which is why a lot of you haven’t heard of it unless you subscribe to FearNet.
This is one of those movies where superb acting isn’t necessary, the story focuses more on atmosphere than character, and as a result even if the acting were terrible (and it’s not), the movie would still please.
Bradley Cooper plays the (anti)hero Leon Kauffman, a photographer who wants to show his audience the real city: the grit, the filth, the crime… you know, all the good things about city life. The problem is that he has no audience, and somehow seems to miss the mark with a lot of his photography. The words “if only I’d kept shooting for a few more seconds” play in a never ending loop in the back of his mind. Enter Susan Hoff (Brooke Shields) an aggressive and only *slightly* vicious Art promoter with a taste for younger men and no tolerance for ‘artists’ who don’t go that extra mile for the perfect shot. That ‘extra mile’ comes for Kauffman when he stops a model from being raped only to find out that the woman turns up missing the following day. While examining one of the photos he took of her he gets his first glimpse of Mahogany, and the trail leads him to a conspiracy no one could have guessed at. Unless, of course, you’re a fan of Clive Barker.
The movie moves at a good clip with few dull spots. Even the quiet moments keep your interest. There are a number of memorable scenes here, be sure to pay close attention to Ted Raimi’s appearence in the subway, the fight between Mahogany (Vinnie Jones) and a Guardian Angel (Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson), and one of the better final confrontations I’ve seen in recent years. You ever notice that? So many good movies crap out on the final fight… but not this one, it’s worth the price of admission by itself.
MY RATING: FOUR AND ONE HALF SEVERED HEADS OUT OF FIVE (Now where’s that mop?)
cast
Leon Kauffman Bradley Cooper
Maya Leslie Bibb
Susan Hoff Brooke Shields
Mahogany Vinnie Jones (Without the rubber suit he wore as Juggernaut in Xmen, The Last Stand)
Jurgis Roger Bart
Driver Tony Curran
Detective Lynn Hadley Barbara Eve Harris
Otto Peter Jacobson
Leigh Cooper Stephanie Mace
Randle Cooper Ted Raimi
Erika Sakaki Nora
Guardian Angel Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson
Troy Taleveski Dan Callahan
Station Cop Don Smith
So if you have the money, or a corpse or three to rifle for change, get yourself a copy or view it on FearNet.
