Transit - DVD

Movie: It was supposed to be a relaxing camping weekend, with Nate (Jim Caviezel), who has just been released from an 18-month prison sentence, wanting to reconnect with his wife (Elisabeth Röhm) and two children. But it's not just the extreme tensions that build during the car ride that prevent a relaxing getaway. A group of gangsters, led by the ruthless Marek (James Frain), also makes life difficult for Nate and his family. Because after robbing an armored car, the thieves have to come up with something to get safely through the roadblocks. A seemingly inconspicuous family's fully-loaded car seems like the perfect place to temporarily deposit the loot and later collect it without harming anyone. Too bad Nate's temper leads him to tangle with a highway patrolman and unceremoniously lands him in jail. Of course, that doesn't stop the gangsters from trying to get the hidden money back. When they fail to do so, Marek decides it's time to bring out the big guns...

Director Antonie Negret delivers to viewers exactly what the story and trailer promise with Transit - a tense thriller with some very bloody scenes and effective moments of suspense. The fact that the characters are a bit one-dimensional and the dramaturgy doesn't have many surprises in store, can be absolutely forgiven due to the good actors and the good staging. So, of course, there are the gangsters in addition to the unscrupulous leader, played great by James Frain (True Blood), the attractive but slightly naive girlfriend (Diora Baird) and the hot-tempered accomplice (Harold Perrineau), whose temper could always cause a lot of trouble. Nate's family is also fairly clichéd, with the aggrieved wife who has lost all faith in her spouse, and the rebellious teenage son who can't forgive his father for his stint in prison.

However, even if the initial arguments in the family's car and that of the gangsters make you want to roll your eyes in mild annoyance many a time, Negret manages very well to quickly tighten the tension screw to such an extent that the dramaturgical weaknesses quickly fade into the background. Jim Caviezel gives an absolutely convincing performance as the desperate father, who has to fight not only for his reputation but also for the life of his family, although he can hardly compete with the intense acting of James Frain.

Genre connoisseurs will feel reminded here and there of other bloody road movies like Duel or Joy Ride. But especially in the last third Negret then manages very well to go his own way, which leads into the gloomy swamp world of Louisiana. This is where the film gets a particularly atmospheric look, which is intensified by the use of some pretty gory moments of violence. As such, Transit may not win any awards for the most original screenplay. The good actors, but especially the dense and extremely exciting production ensure that this home cinema premiere has become absolutely worth seeing for fans of solid thriller fare of the somewhat more brutal variety.

Picture + Sound: The overall quite clean picture has a rather dirty look, which fits very well with the gritty and dirty atmosphere of the thriller. The image sharpness is on a good level, only in some slightly darker scenes reveal slight image noise and minor blurring. The sound is mainly dominated by dialogues and smaller sound effects, especially in the first half, later the surround range is increasingly used. Overall, it is noticeable that the dialogue on the German soundtrack is more powerful, but also clearly more frontal mixed, while they are embedded in the English soundtrack something more harmonious into the action. Overall, there is for the technical implementation but a deserved: good!

Extras: Except for the trailer to the film and other program tips of the provider, the DVD has unfortunately no bonus material to offer.

Conclusion: Transit is a suspenseful thriller that offers viewers exactly what the story promises. Although it lacks the really big surprises, the film manages to keep its viewers gripped right up until the predictable finale, so there's not a second of boredom in the crisp 84 minutes. The DVD presents the thriller in a decent technical realization, only the lack of noteworthy extras stands out negatively. Nevertheless, for all genre fans who like it a little bloodier: well worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp