A young Honduran girl and a Mexican gangster are united in a journey across the U.S. border.A young Honduran girl and a Mexican gangster are united in a journey across the U.S. border.A young Honduran girl and a Mexican gangster are united in a journey across the U.S. border.
- Awards
- 14 wins & 18 nominations
Felipe Castro
- Marero
- (as Sixto Felipe Castro)
Kristyan Ferrer
- El Smiley
- (as Kristian Ferrer)
Giovani Florido
- El Sipe
- (as Giovanni Florido)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaCary Fukunaga spent two years researching the film, spending time with people on the trains and with gangsters in Central America. He also used two gang members to script edit making the slang and language as up to date and realistic as possible.
- GoofsThe teardrop tattoo on el Casper's right eye is missing in two consecutive scenes on the top of the train but is visible on his face throughout the movie both before and after these scenes on the train. Interestingly, the tattoo is an important identifying mark/symbol in the movie and is specifically highlighted by gang members when asking locals if they have seen Casper as they try to find him and hunt him down.
- SoundtracksSONG FOR BOB
Composed by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
From the Motion Picture Score of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
(Film Festival prints only)
Featured review
Train Ride with a Devil
Greetings again from the darkness. Nice to see the initial low rating has climbed after more people have discovered it. It is a riveting film that weaves together two heart-wrenching, gritty stories that would otherwise seem unrelated. It is beautifully and realistically photographed and provides no-frills story telling.
Director Cary Fukonaga throws the viewer into the middle of the brutally violent gang world at the same time he depicts the frightening desperation of Hondurans making their way through an unforgiving Mexico towards an unwelcoming United States. Trust me ... you don't wish to be part of either of these worlds.
The film is at its best when these two worlds collide and Willy/Casper makes a life-changing decision to help a would-be victim. Edgar Flores plays Willy/Casper as the reluctant gang member with a conscience who is just trying to have a life outside the gang. He plays hero to Paulina Gaitan's Sayra, who is on her way to see relatives in New Jersey. Ms. Gaitan reminds of the talented Catalina Sandino Moreno from the excellent "Maria Full of Grace". Willy and Sayra are an odd couple, but seem good for each other, though their destiny seems obvious from the first moment.
Some great footage of the inner workings of an ultra violent, macho world of gangs left me wondering how anyone could escape alive. These are very scary people. I can understand some finding this difficult to watch, but I can't understand how it can be mistaken for anything other than fine film-making.
Director Cary Fukonaga throws the viewer into the middle of the brutally violent gang world at the same time he depicts the frightening desperation of Hondurans making their way through an unforgiving Mexico towards an unwelcoming United States. Trust me ... you don't wish to be part of either of these worlds.
The film is at its best when these two worlds collide and Willy/Casper makes a life-changing decision to help a would-be victim. Edgar Flores plays Willy/Casper as the reluctant gang member with a conscience who is just trying to have a life outside the gang. He plays hero to Paulina Gaitan's Sayra, who is on her way to see relatives in New Jersey. Ms. Gaitan reminds of the talented Catalina Sandino Moreno from the excellent "Maria Full of Grace". Willy and Sayra are an odd couple, but seem good for each other, though their destiny seems obvious from the first moment.
Some great footage of the inner workings of an ultra violent, macho world of gangs left me wondering how anyone could escape alive. These are very scary people. I can understand some finding this difficult to watch, but I can't understand how it can be mistaken for anything other than fine film-making.
helpful•5910
- ferguson-6
- Apr 5, 2009
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,536,665
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $81,446
- Mar 22, 2009
- Gross worldwide
- $5,102,705
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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