MYSTERY TRAIN
A film review by Lons Ponschock
Copyright 1995 Lons Ponschock
Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch Starring Youki Kudoh, Masatoshi Nagase, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
Put a spell on *this* y'all.
MYSTERY TRAIN is one of those secret goodies that cool people tell their friends about. Often these cool things are cult favorites and such. I don't know as how MYSTERY TRAIN has any kind of a following; I found it by accident at the foodstore where I get my product to write these things. I do know this: it is one particular hoot and I will be looking up some other of J. Jarmusch's films. His most recent credit was A NIGHT ON EARTH, but that didn't get much respect so watch for future pieces on his earlier work such as STRANGER THAN PARADISE. Jarmusch can be seen as an actor in a little film called IN THE SOUP.
MYSTERY TRAIN takes place in Memphis. It has three intertwined stories (you can get this much off of the box like I did), one involving a young Japanese couple going to Graceland, an Italian heiress, and finally a trio on the run, two of which are Steve Buscemi (RESERVOIR DOGS, AIRHEADS) and Joe Strummer of the Clash.
"Elvis is everywhere"
-- Mojo Nixon --
... in the hotel rooms, on the radio, statues, you name it, the king is everywhere and where he isn't as a picture or a statue, there's someone to tell you a story about his ghost and where it was seen last.
The sight gags involving Screamin' Jay Hawkins as a hotel manager are worth the price of admission alone. :-)
-- lon lon@edsi.org
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