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The Midnight Meat Train

MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA) for sequences of strong bloody gruesome violence, grisly images involving nudity, sexual content and language.
Moral Rating: not reviewed
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Action, Mystery, Crime
Length: 1 hr. 25 min.
Year of Release: 2008
USA Release: August 1, 2008 (limited—100 screens)
DVD: February 17, 2009
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Featuring Bradley Cooper
Vinnie Jones
Leslie Bibb
Brooke Shields
Tony Curran
Roger Bart
Peter Jacobson
Dan Callahan
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Director Ryuhei Kitamura—“Versus” (2000), “Azumi” (2003), “Godzilla: Final Wars” (2004)
Producer Clive Barker
Peter Block
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Distributor Distributor: Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. Trademark logo.Lions Gate Films

Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “When Leon Kaufman’s (Bradley Cooper) latest body of work—a collection of provocative, nighttime studies of the city and its inhabitants—earns the struggling photographer interest from prominent art gallerist Susan Hoff (Brooke Shields), she propels him to get grittier and show the darker side of humanity for his upcoming debut at her downtown art space.

Believing he’s finally on track for success, Leon’s obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer, Mahogany (Vinnie Jones), the subway murderer who stalks late-night commuters—ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways imaginable.

With his concerned girlfriend Maya (Leslie Bibb) fearing for his life, Leon’s relentless fascination with Mahogany lures him further and further into the bowels of the subways and ultimately into an abyss of pure evil—inadvertently pulling Maya right along with him.

THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN is directed by Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura (VERSUS, AZUMI, SKY HIGH) in his American debut, and based on legendary horror writer Clive Barker’s popular, eponymous short story from his classic Books of Blood collection. The screenplay was adapted by Jeff Buhler.”


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Movie Critics
…Gorehounds will be delighted with some of the sick set pieces from director Ryuhei Kitamura, one of Japan's flashiest filmmakers, but everyone else will be scratching their heads over this bloody muddle. …
Grady Hendrix, The New York Sun