Psychopaths are incapable of love, so says William Lewis (Tom Wilkison), madman and father to a pair of likewise pernicious offspring: Grace (Ruby Rose, achieving cool clarity as daddy’s little two-legged slaughterhouse) and her unpolished, but nonetheless inhuman brother Oliver (Owain Yeoman). Together they’re the Black Swans, a family owned and operated military company recognized for a string of crimes against humanity committed in the Republic of Georgia. Wilkinson lends name recognition in exchange for a short work schedule and juicy death scene at the hands of military contract killer, George Clements (Andy Serkis). On the side of good stands Sam Heughan (Tom Buckingham), a Special Forces operative who loves to kill more than he does Dr. Sophie Hart (Hannah John-Kamen), the woman he’s about to propose to once the train deposits the couple in Paris. That is until the Black Swans board the EuroStar. Next stop: an action-packed hijacking that’s surprisingly steeped in drollery. (“Be famous, not dead” is the advice given to hostages; those willing to play along will have a grand story to shop around.) One could have done without the cliche-toned score and wouldn’t it be nice if just once, the bad guys were astute enough to go about their nefarious business without the aid of a slick-fashioned inside man, make that inside men, to bring an element of foreseen surprise. Halfway through, visions of two diverse, yet thoroughly valid endings began to bubble: either the psychopaths find love together or Tom finds the psychopath in Sophie. Without giving anything away, I was close. But nothing that came before it prepared me for the remarkable closing credit shot. Bravo to director Magnus Martens! (2021) — Scott Marks
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