Film Review: SHUTTLE (2008)

Most films about human organ harvesting and/or human harvesting itself tend to bore me. Case in point the underwhelming Train (2008) or Turistas (2006), but what sets the film Shuttle (2008) apart from these other films is the fact that it never gives itself off as a film about this. The film starts off innocently enough when a group of people needing a lift from the airport decide to take a shuttle ride instead of a cab. What starts off as an innocent ride turns into a nightmare when the people riding the shuttle become captives to a psychopathic driver with a hidden agenda.

Every time one of the passengers tries to escape there endurance and humanity is put to the test because if one makes a mistake they all must suffer. The film is written & directed by Edward Anderson but has a very talented cast and crew as well. Because so much of the film takes place on the shuttle itself it would have been easy for the film to quickly become repetitive but the pacing and tone keeps you on the edge of your seat despite the similar genre trappings of this type of film. Anderson does a great job of balancing the story with the action in the film and for the majority of the film you're held in suspense.

One of the things that helps the film is the fact that the film has a roughly unknown cast so you never know who might get bumped off and at what time nor the true agenda of the psychopathic driver. Anderson also keeps things moving by never revealing all the details of the film and always keeps twists and turns coming which adds to the tension of the film.

In a time when so many low budget films are simply going for the lowest common denominator this film strives to deliver something just a little extra for its audience.