Hokey it may be, but this low-budget, London-set thriller about the last six passengers on a runaway commuter train stays on the rails thanks to strong performances, snappy dialogue and a relentless pace. Dougray Scott is a dashing doctor escorting his seven-year-old son home for Christmas when, looking out of the train window, he spots a body on the tracks. It’s not long before the doc and his fellow travellers – including a flirty single gal (Kara Tointon), a world-weary banker (David Schofield) and a kindly grandmother (Lindsay Duncan) – realise that something is very wrong with the 10.15 to Tunbridge Wells.
There’s a lot wrong with ‘Last Passenger’ too: the ‘who the hell’s driving this train?’ mystery element doesn’t go anywhere; the characters are overfamiliar; and some of the performances – notably Iddo Goldberg as a bolshy Russian engineer – are a touch over the top. But first-time feature director Omid Nooshin makes the best of a minuscule budget, and his punchy script doesn’t brake for breath. Low key but enjoyable.