Coming out of the same studio that gave us RuPaul's Drag Race, and stacked with a whole crew of former contestants, Stop! That! Train! plays like RuPaul basically taking a bow for the entire franchise she's built. It's not really a gay film in the traditional sense, but with so many drag stars from Ru's shows popping up alongside a few cameos from well known out gay actors, I figured it earns a spot on this blog anyway. The whole thing is completely over the top, packed with GenZ slang, loud flashy visuals, and humor that's constantly winking at you knowing how ridiculous it is. Going in you'd assume it's meant to be a laugh riot, and a lot of critics online seem to be eating it up, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I've never really been someone who vibes with campy silly stuff like this, so honestly my reaction doesn't surprise me one bit. The setup follows Tess and DeeDee, two low level stewardesses who sneak onto the fancy Glamazonian E...
Adam, an IT teacher at an illustrious public school, is picked up by a charming photographer Jake at a gay bar. After spending the night at Jake’s flat, he leaves, but manages to pick up the wrong mobile phone by mistake. When he returns to give it back, he witnesses a couple of thuggish men carrying something that looks suspiciously like a body in a sack out of the flat. Unfortunately, it seems that they were also after the very same mobile that he now happens to be in his possession, and they want it back. Knowing he’s out of his depth, Adam turns to his old college friend, Amy, who now works for a high profile media baron (who incidentally happens to be Jake's father) and when he hears what has allegedly been seen, he’s understandably interested in helping discover exactly what’s going on. What Adam soon realizes is that he has stumbled some proof regarding an alleged gay affair between royal prince and Jake and now the royal team will not stop at anything to make sure that the new never comes out. Adam gets sacked from his job, staked by sinister looking heavies, and given a good talking to by an aristocratic fixer. Adam has no idea how to get out of this chain of misevents where his friend is killed, can he trust Amy and is Jake really dead?
The plot of this film isn’t too bad; it’s partly a mystery, partly a conspiracy thriller but the treatment feels very dated and naive and amateurish to me. The gimmicky format of watching many scenes through eyes of camera lenses be it through shops or streets start to get jarring after a while. At places it almost goes documentary vibes. Back in 2007 it must have sounded a good idea on paper – giving it an instant edgy, contemporary feel – but it’s used to such a degree that it’s actually extremely irritating, detracting from the plot and becoming increasingly repetitive. IT feels made for a TV film for a channel that is undergoing losses. Even the acting is pretty basic. I think the aspirations were quite high but what eventually unfolds and the way it got executed is quite questionable. The thriller dares to question on rights of public about privacy v/s what the government may have data on you, but sadly the film itself fails short of becoming a thriller that it needs to be. The bright side is actor playing Adam was cute (same can't be said about his acting). (4/10)
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