Review of The Midnight Meat Train (2008) by Phillip H — 07 Apr 2011

Following his success with the low-budget Zombie thriller 'Versus', Ryuhei Kitamura hits it big once more with 'The Midnight Meat Train'. Starring Bradley Cooper and Vinnie Jones, Meat Train is an unrelenting gore-fest, sure to make even the most tenured of horror fans to jump out of their seats.

The story follows two very well performed characters, Leon, the New York City photographer, who is relatively kept to himself in his business, and Mahogany, a sociopathic murder who preys on the isolated people taking the subway at night. Leon, played quite shockingly well by Bradley Cooper, takes interest in Mahogany, following his every move. Magogany, played by Vinnie Jones, is a silent and sadistic killer, who brutally murders his victims with a meat hook and tenderizer, and doesn't speak a word of a dialogue throughout the film. Mahogany serves as a compelling antagonist, played with a fascinating sense of polish and sadism by Jones.

The setting of a subway train makes for an isolating and entrapping location for a killer to prowl unrelentingly, and is used brilliantly throughout. The camera work plays a vital role in the film, with numerous scenes shot so tightly, the viewers can easily find themselves lost within the claustrophobic subway environment. One of the more well filmed shots employing the use of clever camera tactics includes a woman being decapitated in gruesome fashion, and finishes with her severed head rolling away and facing Mahogany.

'The Midnight Meat Train' is in no way, shape, or form for the squeamish or weak stomached. The gore is realistic, the deaths are frightening, and the climax is completely unseen and enacted brilliantly. For any horror connoisseurs, this film is a must see.