The Midnight Meat Train - Takes us back to a better, bloodier time.

To bring Generation X back to our teenage renting practices might be what Lionsgate was looking for with Ryuhei Kitamura’s adaptation of a Clive Barker short story "The Midnight Meat Train". This was the time in their life when they would either go to a movie, or only visit the horror movie aisle of a video store and try to decide which film offered the coolest gore and quintessential nudity.

When a hip art dealer (Brooke Shields) tells Leon (Bradley Cooper of "The Hangover") that he is failing as a photographer, and suggest that he needs to be brave to capture New York City the way it really is. Convinced of this, Leon goes out late at night to shoot its seedier elements.

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During this quest to capture the dark side of NYC, he winds up crossing the path of a Mahogany (Vinnie Jones of "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels"), a loner who always rides the 2:05 am train, and the missing fashion model he last saw boarding. Leon decides to follow him to piece together his case that he is culprit, and ends ups taking his girlfriend and himself to even darker subject matter.

When occult elements start appearing in the film, it leads one to believe that the story could not have had the photographer’s quest play as big of a part in its original form. We are discussing Clive Barker material, and he must always have a demonic element to his tales, so detective work inevitably end up being secondary like in 1995’s "Lord of Illusions". Demons are what his films usually advertise, so when they appear the viewer wonders, “did we need a twist?”

Especially when Kitamura had presented a scene that should give any horror fan me a gorgasm 20 minutes in. The action sequences are where the direction shines making sure never to waste any use of the gore which allows for an awesome climax too each scene. Otherwise, there was a lot of extra time taken for each shot which drags the film a bit. These shots are beautiful with their selective lighting, but just because the crew took a lot of time to get the scene to look great, does not mean you have to shoot the hell out of them.

The actors do a great job presenting the film. Cooper does what Ryan Reynolds tries to do with each one of his dramatic roles. That is presenting his straight character with a degree of arrogance that his comic characters seem to possess. It makes the viewer root for him instead of shouting at the screen, “you are only as valid an actor as Dane Cook is.” Vinnie Jones is awesome as Mahogany being the mysterious, unbeatable fellow who leaves us wondering what his story is.

The Midnight Meat Train misses a lot of chances to be the perfect slasher flick, but unforgettable horror sequences make this a must view by the genre’s fans. The DVD offers a commentary track by Clive Barker and Ryuhei Kitamura which may explain the abuses of talent, along with featurettes including one about Barker. These make the purchase of the DVD a meaty banquet for Barker’s fans, but only a shameful treat for any other film goers. The Midnight Meat Train is enjoyable, but not because it is a cinematic gem.