A frustrated photographer named Leon (Bradley Cooper) is assigned by ambitious owner of art gallery named Susan (Brooke Shields) asks him to improve the quality his pictures.Leon neglects his waitress fiancée (Leslie Bibb) and roams the undergrounds at night in search of something rare and actual. Then he finds a strange and silent meat-packer (Vinnie Jones) at the last midnight train. After that, Leon goes to the Police precinct but the Detective Hadley(Barbara Eve Harris) doesn't believe him.

This frightening movie displays terror, shocks, hard-edged drama , and creepy images . While the look is suitable atmospheric and eerie, the argument stretches plausibility to the breaking point. This is an acceptable Clive Baker adaptation of the short novel with same title. The picture is full of suspense,thrills, mystery, and lots of blood and gore .This slick gore-feast is a triumph of style over movie logic. It's packed with overwhelming body count, excessive gore, grotesque killing, and rivers of red blood. The picture is smartly designed ,stylishly photographed filming in shades and lights . It packs,tension,suspense,chills,horror and lot of blood and gore including slitting the throat,attempted rage, slicing ,stabbing, all courtesy of excellent craftsmen. They create a creepy make-up of horrible and bloody images. The gutsy murders are gruesomely executed and equally are ghastly graphic .The film is constituted by some well done horror set pieces with creepy and spooky atmosphere.The butcher-murderer appearance deliver the goods with hair raising chills, full scares and scary frames.The story is borrowing from the original short story by Clive Baker who has several cinematic adaptations, as ¨Nightbreed¨, ¨Lord of illusions¨, ¨Hellraiser¨ and ¨Candyman¨ with their uncountable sequels. Thrilling musical score with frightening sounds and appropriate cinematography with dark atmosphere by cameraman Jonathan Sela. The motion picture is skillfully directed by Kitamura. Rating : Acceptable and passable Clive Baker rendition that will appeal his followers.

THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN is the gruesome story of one man's obsession with a supernatural killer who prowls the New York subway, based on a short story by horror supremo Clive Barker. It has the look and feel of slasher classic CANDYMAN but it does lack the substance behind that movie and Barker's better known HELLRAISER; what we get is a lightweight gore-fest that's too superficial and similar to what's come before to be that great.

One of the film's saving graces is Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura, who brings a little (but not enough) of the verve and vitality of his low budget hits like VERSUS. Vinnie Jones is also a fun presence as the bad guy, with the role perfectly suited to his particular brand of imposing talent (i.e. he doesn't have to say much). What I didn't like was a miscast Bradley Cooper, who seems to be struggling with some of the emotion the role requires; I've never been a fan of this guy, and his acting here does nothing to change that opinion.

As the storyline is rather lightweight and predictable, Kitamura adds tons of graphic bloodshed to the mix, although the sometimes dodgy CGI effects make it funny rather than disturbing; Ted Raimi's over the top cameo death is a highlight here. The disturbing atmosphere works well but the denouement and execution just don't have the heart to make THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN worth a rewatch.

In Los Angeles, the photographer Leon (Bradley Cooper) lives with his girlfriend and waitress Maya (Leslie Bibb) waiting for a chance to get in the photo business. When Maya contacts their friend Jurgis (Roger Bart),he schedules a meeting for Leon with the successful owner of arts gallery Susan Hoff (Brooke Shields); she analyzes Leon's work and asks him to improve the quality of his photos. During the night, the upset Leon decides to wander on the streets taking pictures with his camera, and he follows three punks down to the subway station; when the gang attacks a young woman, Leon defends her and the guys move on. On the next morning, Leon discovers that the woman is missing. He goes to the police station, but Detective Lynn Hadley (Barbara Eve Harris) does not give much attention to him and discredits his statement. Leon becomes obsessed to find what happened with the stranger and he watches the subway station. When he sees the elegant butcher Mahogany (Vinnie Jones) in the train, Leon believes he might be a murderer and stalks him everywhere, in the beginning of his journey to the darkness.

The gore "The Midnight Meat Train" is a good horror movie and recommended for fans of graphic slash movies. The characters are well developed and there are explanations for many apparently unreasonable attitudes with the twist in the end. The director Ryûhei Kitamura makes a stylish movie, supported by a good cast and great special effects. I have not read the short story; therefore the conclusion was a great surprise for me. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Último Trem" ("The Last Train")