Original title: La Treizième Voiture
Running time: 105 minutes
Language: French
Young Parisian, Valentin, is one day surprised by phone call from his aunt Tanya living in Scotland. She would like him to take a ride with her aboard the Moliere Express from Paris to Moscow and she simply would not take no for an answer. Reluctantly Valentin agrees to take part in that journey, but when he meets his aunt she begins to regret it - energetic older woman is determined to see him in the traditional Scottish kilt during their journey through Europe. While boarding the train Valentin trips over and his suitcase is mixed up with a bag of someone else. Aboard the Moliere he also meets few eccentric passengers, including mysterious Chloe Granval and her young translator Natalia. Soon after leaving Paris the train makes short stop in the middle of nowhere and surprised passengers are told by the armed men to stay inside. Another coach, obscure looking cargo car, is attached to their train, making the whole train consisting of 13 cars. But some of the passengers are less surprised than the other by that event. They know exactly what is hidden inside the 13th car - a well guarded safe containing very valuable old religious icons. Accidentally Valentin gets in a way of the robbers...
The Secret of Coach 13 is co-production of French and Polish companies and a mixture between simple comedy and even simpler action adventure movie. Unfortunately it fails on both accounts - it was a very cheap production with obviously very limited budget. Filmed aboard not very impressive looking Polish trains and with cast mixing well known actors (like Penelope Keith or Jean-Pierre Cassel) with hardly known outside their own countries (like Grazyna Trela or Pierre Vassiliu). Overall a mediocre production that actually had some potential, but limited budget and lack of care to details made it far from being unforgettable. On plus side the whole story takes place aboard or around the Moliere Express in manner similar to American movie Silver Streak.
Our rating
5.2
/ 10
Film value
4
/ 10
Train scenes
4
/ 5
Adventure
3
/ 5
Scenery
2
/ 5
add a commentThe Secret of Coach 13 scene The Secret of Coach 13 scene |
as Valentin
as Aunt Tanya
as Charles de Malasset
as Natalia
as Bigioli
as Chloe Granval
as fake conductor
as Alexander
as Tanaka
as conductor
as Durand
Can you solve this mystery?
Can you solve this 50 years old unsolved case?
