Getting this out of the way: THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN is an OK movie. For a gory horror movie, its even better than OK. You'll be entertained enough, and if I could give it another half star, I would.
In spite of the clever gimmick of a 2-in-the-morning subway train that serves as a human slaughterhouse, this film isn't all that original. As in any number of slasher films, dozens of people get their tickets punched in the most gruesome of ways. Atmospherically, it brings to mind SE7EN with its sickly, noir lighting, and sets and locations that reek of decay. Mostly, the characters are true-to-type: the well-meaning loved ones who naively gaslight the hero; the disingenuously skeptical, eerily detached good-guy cops who, predictably, aren't good guys at all; the supernaturally strong and indefatigable villain you can't seem to kill.
In other words, THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN remains faithful to most conventions of its genre. Yet with all its conformity, it still tries to be more than just another horror flick, and it almost succeeds. Unfortunately, the God-from-the-Machine ending propels the story down a disappointing track, transporting the premise from a plausible if highly improbable tale of exorbitant perversity into something that's far less terrifying.
As THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN comes to its terminus, one wishes for what could have been if the writers, producers, and director had tried just a little bit harder. It could have been great instead of just OK. As it stands, with its lack of follow through, this movie comes dangerously close to being a waste of Bradley Cooper's talent.
Still and all, it's a trip worth taking for fans of the macabre. All aboard.