Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > The Midnight Meat Train (2008)
The Midnight Meat Train
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Midnight Meat Train (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 25 | slideshow) Videos (see all 3)
The Midnight Meat Train (2008) -- Midnight Meat Train - Trailer
The Midnight Meat Train (2008) -- Trailer for this film about a photographer who becomes obsessed with a subway train killer
The Midnight Meat Train (2008) -- Trailer 1

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   12,222 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 22% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Ryûhei Kitamura
Writers (WGA):
Jeff Buhler (screenplay)
Clive Barker (short story "The Midnight Meat Train")
Contact:
View company contact information for The Midnight Meat Train on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 August 2008 (Russia) more
Tagline:
The most terrifying ride you'll ever take
Plot:
A New York photographer hunts down a serial killer. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
3 wins more
NewsDesk:
(124 articles)
A Chilling Pair Of Clive Barker Premieres
 (From SoundOnSight. 2 July 2009, 12:12 AM, PDT)

The 2009 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Results
 (From Fangoria. 25 June 2009, 2:33 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Lots of meat but no filling... more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Bradley Cooper ... Leon Kauffman

Leslie Bibb ... Maya Jones

Brooke Shields ... Susan Hoff

Vinnie Jones ... Mahogany

Roger Bart ... Jurgis Tompkins

Tony Curran ... The Driver

Barbara Eve Harris ... Detective Lynn Hadley
Peter Jacobson ... Otto
Stephanie Mace ... Leigh Cooper

Ted Raimi ... Randle Cooper
Nora ... Erika Sakaki
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson ... Guardian Angel

Dan Callahan ... Troy Taleveski
Don Smith ... Station Cop

Earl Carroll ... Jack Franks
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Clive Barker's Midnight Meat Train (USA) (promotional title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for sequences of strong bloody gruesome violence, grisly images involving nudity, sexual content and language.
Runtime:
98 min | USA:100 min | France:85 min | USA:103 min (unrated version)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Filming Locations:
Burbank, California, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Vinnie Jones' character has no lines in the whole film apart from one word at the end. more
Goofs:
Continuity: After Leon has his tongue ripped off, you can see the tongue intact in his mouth. more
Quotes:
Leon Kauffman: She didn't like my work.
Jurgis: She gave you three minutes. People whose work she doesn't like, she usually gives one.
more
Movie Connections:
References Forrest Gump (1994) more
Soundtrack:
Catching Up to You more

FAQ

Is this movie based on a novel?
Why does this movie keep on getting pushed back?
What is going on in this movie (aka What the hell did I just watch)?
more
12 out of 20 people found the following comment useful:-
Lots of meat but no filling..., 16 October 2008
5/10
Author: Daniel Anderson from Ireland

The Midnight Meat Train is the latest film to be (however indirectly) associated with Clive Barker. This used to be a good thing, especially between the time of Hellraiser (1987) and Candyman (1992), but as both spiralled into the depths of serial trash (Hellraiser is on its 9th iteration) he has become more associated with sub standard slasher films. Whatever you may think of his garish and brazenly obscene writing style, the themes he confronts are strong and generally quite cinematic – voyeurism and the clash of the ordinary with the extraordinary, as well as perennial favourites fetishism and sadomasochism.

The Midnight Meat Train tells the story of Leon Kaufman (Bradley Cooper), a photographer who, in looking for inspiration for his work, is drawn to the subway in the pre-dawn hours. Initially hooked by a minor brush with the darker side of the city (he stops a gang from assaulting a girl) he is invigorated by the experience, and delves deeper. Here he find a mysterious man (Vinnie Jones) who rides the shrieking metal subway cars alone at night. Intrigued by the man's forbidding presence and spurred on by the praise he receives for his latest series of photographs, Kaufman returns to the unending night of the subway, determined to explore this terrifying and exhilarating new world beneath the sleeping city.

The movie is adapted from a short story in Barker's Books of Blood and, apart from the now customary producer credit, that is where his involvement ends. This is a real shame, as the material added to expand the script to feature length could have done with some of his inspired mix of squeamishly detailed viscera and surprisingly subtle characterisation. The story made a virtue of its brevity – requiring no set up and building to a pay off with minimal fuss (and maximum bloodletting). The script, however, loses itself early on in its frantic, almost childish need to play with your gag reflex. The opening scene is liberally slathered with agreeably viscous blood, and before the film is half over we have seen eyeballs knocked out of sockets (then stepped on), heads mashed with hammers and have careened through a skull in bullet time before exiting through the eye (eyes in general have a pretty hard time of it in The Midnight Meat Train). Likewise Kaufman's descent, literally and psychologically, comes off as half-baked. His morbid, possibly self-destructive curiosity is a familiar theme that can be effective but here there is not enough set up to make the journey believable. There is no attempt to explain exactly what would make him seek out these extra-curricular thrills. Indeed, his life with his girlfriend (Leslie Bibb, trying valiantly to wring something from her meagre material) is painted as pretty idyllic. The film also settles into a formula far too quickly: a kill scene is followed by a scene with the couple at home, as a counter-point to the supposedly harrowing gore and violence. Then there is some investigation, some minor stalker/slasher interplay between Jones and Cooper and another disjointed, unnecessarily explicit horror interlude. The ending shakes things up a little, and it builds to a suitably despairing denouement, but by then its effectiveness has been so diluted by 90 minutes of on camera vivisections and Coopers surprisingly placid performance that the final credits merely seem like welcome respite.

It's not all bad though. The premise and the idea of the ending, coming directly from Barker's story, are a cut above those of your average horror film and a testament to the strength of the original. Likewise, the direction (by Versus helmer Ryuhei Kitamura) is certainly energetic and his cacophony of camera angles, speed changes and in-camera effects are enough to keep you awake during the films slower moments. Unfortunately this over-the-top style – combined with some unnecessarily flamboyant (though generally well integrated) CG – also has the effect of negating any real sense of tension or unease in the few moments of the film that attempt to create suspense. The cinematography is crisp and manages to make itself stand out a little from the horror crowd, preferring stylistic (though perhaps a little too smoky) compositions to the gritty and grainy semi-realism of some recent offerings. The music is extremely jarring – reaching almost laughably frantic levels during the final fight and overpowering any scene which does not heavily feature the sound of metal on bone. As for the performances, Cooper's Kaufman is all grimaces and curiously underplayed, while Jones remains mercifully mute but generally looks more mystified than mysterious.

The Midnight Meat Train is another let down for Barker fans and, unfortunately, for horror fans in general. You may, if you are so inclined, get some enjoyment from the kill scenes – which are at least agreeably the other side of PG-13. You may also experience a little Outer Limits style shudder of approval at the ending that might make you reconsider your next nocturnal subway ride. But, ultimately, there simply isn't that much to The Midnight Meat Train and it is destined to ride the mediocre movie midnight train alone into obscurity.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Midnight Meat Train (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
100 Things I Learnt from 'The Midnight Meat Train' shottiee
Terrible CGI effects gilwood
WHAT WAS HE CUTTING OFF OF HIS CHEST?!!!!!1 cmpell
Reference to David Icke's theory on New World Order blackmagic787
Midnight Meat Train in 5 seconds Scooperfield
Crouching Barker Hidden Clive fester245trioxin-1
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Night Train Creep Blade Runner Friday the 13th Watchmen
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Crime section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.