Movie Review The Midnight Meat Train
A Thrilling Horror Movie Starring Vinnie Jones and Bradley Cooper
May 28, 2009
Born from a short story written in the 1980s and part of a series of horror novels The Midnight Meat Train is a chilling journey that takes the audience deeper and deeper beneath the streets of New York as the mysteries of a serial killer unfold.
Passion and Obsession in The Midnight Meat Train
Leon (Bradley Cooper) is a struggling photographer striving to break in to the world of gallery showings and wealthy buyers. He hunts through New York at night trying to capture the dark heart of the city in his pictures. During one of his late night wanderings he finds himself in the subway as a group of men accost a beautiful young woman. Stepping in to help her was a first step into what would become a dangerous hunt for a murderer.
Enthralled with the humanity of his latest pictures of the beautiful woman who has been reported missing Leon stalks the night streets to find more compelling shots. His attention is caught by an intimidating and quiet man (Vinnie Jones) who rides the late night trains. Leon finds that his photos of the man and those from the night the woman went missing are connected and he goes to the police. With no help from the investigator Leon is drawn further into the hunt.
A Butcher and a Killer
Maya (Leslie Bibb), Leon’s girlfriend, is disgruntled by his late night stalking; it seems to be deeply and negatively affecting him. His suspicion that this man is a serial killer who is behind all of the local abductions over a century makes him desperate to find answers. As Leon gets closer to the true identity of the man from the subway he follows him too closely to his day job as a butcher.
Maya growing more concerned when Leon returns home with deeply cut markings on his abdomen, calls in the help of their friend Jurgis (Roger Bart). Together the two use Leon’s pictures to find the butcher’s apartment. When the butcher catches Jurgis and Maya looking through what seems to be several rooms filled with terrifying tools meant to dismantle human beings Maya manages to escape. Running to the police for help she gets resistance from the investigator.
Maya heads to the subway in desperation and catches the train just after 2AM. Leon, pushed to the point of no return, arms himself with the butcher’s own tools and goes to wait at the abandoned train station under the meat factory. As a bloody battle to survive ensues Leon discovers the reason that so many people have disappeared with no trace and why it must become his time to be the butcher.
Surprising Twists
The movie becomes very engrossing from the first moments and viewers may find themselves unable to look away, even when there is incredible gore. The script is creative for the horror genre and the storyline could have gone any number of ways. What appeared to be a film about a serial killer and a photographer turned into a complex monster movie. The cast is packed with star power including Brooke Shields in a small role. All of the characters have a very real depth and are well acted. Vinnie Jones has a standout performance as the silent killer ‘Mahogany.’
