Movie Review: Midnight Meat Train (2008)

Midnight Meat Train (2008)

Midnight Meat Train is a difficult film to assess. There is so much about it that I liked, it was exciting, violent, and stylish, but the film was almost entirely undone by a mindless and unsubstantiated decision, needlessly made by the film’s two protagonists just before the final act.

Before I go any further, I should remedy the impression given by the film’s title that this is an exploitative gorefest. It’s actually based on a short story by the always-dependable Clive Barker, although the popular horror/fantasy writer has a long history of maligned film adaptations. At least we know the source material is credible. The film also suffered from some production and distribution woes. The first director left the project, a new one was brought in, and when it was finally finished, Lionsgate opted to cut its advertising and only give it a very limited release after everyone involved, including Barker, was told Midnight Meat Train would get a wide release. The theory is that Lionsgate head, Joe Drake, screwed the film so that he could focus all his attention on another Lionsgate release, The Strangers (2008): a film on which Drake had a producing credit. So was it politics, or was Midnight Meat Train an inferior product? Well I have not seen The Strangers, a personal choice I made because it looked like a blatant rip-off of the excellent French film, Ils (2006), but I can say with some confidence that Midnight Meat Train is a lot more fun, and certainly a lot more original.

The acting is really solid. Vinnie Jones is the villain here, and he does not speak a single line, but he has that look like “I’m going to squash you like a bug.” It’s menacing and effective. The rest of the cast is strong as well, particularly Bradley Cooper who I have never heard of before. But he makes a charming leading man, and handles some of the more challenging scenes, such as when his character does stupid things, with a finesse that makes those decisions seem more likely.

My favorite thing about the movie is the music. It’s really different, but it works perfectly for the film. It actually reminded me of Vangelis’ score for Blade Runner (1982), a mix of synthesized beats and simple orchestrations.

Given that this is based on a Clive Barker story, the film does come with the requisite demons-from-another-reality angle. I’ve read some Clive Barker stories which I thought were damaged by this addition, but I have also read some where I believe Barker was on to something really brilliant. I am happy to report that Midnight Meat Train falls into the latter category; in fact I would even say that the story here is made stronger by said addition. The twists come very late in the movie, but they tie together the story in a satisfying way you may not see coming. The final fight sequences are also spectacularly choreographed and stylish, totally worth the wait if you can get over the inane decision that the protagonists make to put themselves there.
The final verdict: it’s no Hellraiser (1987) or Lord of Illusions (1995), but this is easily the best Clive Barker adaptation since. The choice is yours whether that counts for anything.

Professor P