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‘Siberia’ Review: Dir. Matthew Ross (2018)

Siberia Review: Snow, sex and diamond trading form the set-up for Keanu Reeves’ latest project. 

Siberia review. Image courtesy of Fetch Publicity

Keanu Reeves, though one of the most famous actors of our time, has had a very hit and miss movie career. Granted he’s had massive success with Speed, the Bill & Ted films, The Matrix films, and most recently, the John Wick movies, but for every one of them, there’s been a Chain Reaction, Johnny Mnemonic and Exposed. Somehow though, loyal fans continue to support him. However, even the most devout Keanu fan might find themselves challenged by his new film Siberia.

Keanu stars as Lucas Hill, a black-market diamond dealer. After his business partner Pyotr (Boris Gulyarin) disappears with the product ahead of an important meet, Lucas must travel to the outskirts of Russia to track him down. However, upon arrival, instead of finding Pyotr he meets Katya (Ana Ularu), a young landlady with whom he starts a love affair. As the pressure from his prospective buyers increases, Lucas finds his, and Katya’s, lives on the line. Can he work out a way to save them both?

Siberia opens as a pseudo-clone of the John Wick films. The house that Lucas lives in with his wife (played by The Breakfast Club‘s princess – Molly Ringwald), could easily be mistaken for John Wick’s former residence. It’s near identical. We then see Lucas don an expensive John Wick worthy suit before hopping on the plane to Russia. Upon landing, he heads to his usual hotel which has more than a whiff of The Continental about it. It too has an always-on-duty concierge, though this time it’s a lady. She always refers to Lucas as Mr. Hill, remarks how nice it is to see him again, and generally acts a lot like Lance Reddick’s John Wick character. By aligning itself so closely to these films, Siberia instantly gets itself onto the wrong foot, as everything that follows has no semblance of a John Wick movie.

Firstly the pace is a lot less punchy, as is Keanu. Lucas isn’t the pencil-wielding type, he’s a seasoned businessman who is used to a different type of power. Randomly, he is an expert shot, but that’s where the similarities end. Lucas gets beaten-up by some drunk Russians and has to be rescued by Katya. This is how the pair meets and it’s at this point that the entire film’s dynamic shifts. Up until this point Siberia has been a thriller all about a big criminal enterprise about to go wrong. At this juncture, the decision comes to morph into a distinctly un-erotic thriller.

Despite there being an age gap of a good twenty years, and despite knowing that Lucas has a wife, Katya repeatedly throws herself at him. The morning after she rescues him, she propositions him on the argument that people will think they’ve had sex anyway, so why not just do it? When he gently rebuffs her, reasoning that he has work to do, she eagerly offers to help, stating that if they finish quickly they can just do it later. None of this paints Katya in the best light. I imagine the intention is to show that she’s an independent woman who knows her mind and body. However, it just comes off as desperate and easy. This is exacerbated later on during a rage-inducing scene that is both completely unnecessary and has a male wish-fulfillment feel to it.

The sex scenes themselves are excruciating and feature far too often. Given Keanu’s sex symbol status, I’m sorry to report that these scenes are anything but. The pair have no chemistry, sexual or otherwise, and their resulting rutting is so awkward and uncomfortable to watch, it makes those love scenes in The Room look sensual and erotic. When they finally stop having lots of unpleasant sex, the film tries to revert back to its original story. By this point, though you’ll have forgotten what’s going on; cue a rushed and convoluted ending that offers no payoff for the time invested.

What Siberia has going for it, is its production values. Technically speaking, this is a well put together film. It feels more expensive than it probably was to make and there’s some aesthetic cinematography throughout. It also, despite its problems, keeps you watching, even if it’s partly from pure bewilderment at trying to figure out what is happening. Casting Keanu is also a plus as without him Siberia would have likely been left sat on a shelf for several years.

A disappointing post-John Wick outing for Reeves, which once again sets the balance of one good, one bad film.

Siberia review by Kat Hughes, November 2018.

Siberia is available on VOD, and is released in selected UK cinemas on Friday 16th November 2018.

Kat Hughes is a UK born film critic and interviewer who has a passion for horror films. An editor for THN, Kat is also a Rotten Tomatoes Approved Critic. She has bylines with Ghouls Magazine, Arrow Video, Film Stories, Certified Forgotten and FILMHOUNDS and has had essays published in home entertainment releases by Vinegar Syndrome and Second Sight. When not writing about horror, Kat hosts micro podcast Movies with Mummy along with her five-year-old daughter.

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