Written by: Kevin Berge
Please, in this ensemble cast, let's not forget the real star of the movie, homeless guy. (Image Courtesy of: theasiancinemablog.com)
Quick Take: Train to Busan has the action, style, and drama of a modern blockbuster combined with the deft hand of a talented director, who makes it feel intimately personal. It is a modern pinnacle of zombie entertainment.
***This review will contain spoilers for the entirety of Train to Busan including the ending. If you plan to watch it, please do not read past this point until you have. It is best experienced first.***
At a certain point, genre films blur together. It's difficult to get excited about the next vampire movie or werewolf movie. Zombie movies are especially egregious because they seem to all follow too many similar tropes.
Train to Busan is an incredible exception. While it certain follows some tropes along the way, it is so incredibly poignant and well made that it rises above its peers easily. It may be too bold to call any movie a perfect representation of anything, but Train to Busan may be the perfect zombie movie.
This movie follows Seok-yoo (Gong Yoo), an absentee father and selfish fund manager, who decides to do something nice for his daughter Su-an (Kim Su-an) by taking her to see her mother on her birthday. On his way, a sudden strange pandemic breaks out, and the train is overrun by zombies.
The story builds slowly and carefully even as the audience knows what is coming. It introduces the main dynamic of Seok-yoo and Su-an as well as other characters that plays a major role. Sang-hwa (Ma Dong-seok) and Seong-kyeong (Jung Yu-mi) are a married couple expecting their first child.
Yong-guk (Choi Woo-shik) is traveling with his baseball team as well as his friend and potential girlfriend Jin-hee (Sohee). A homeless man (Choi Gwi-hwa) slips onto the train when the outbreak triggers his PTSD. There are also various other dynamics including a pair of older best friends and a whole lot of arrogant rich people.
Early on, the audience has a clear sense of everyone on the train and their desires. The film does a good job of keeping the audience invested in the struggle of the individuals so that each death that comes hurts or is a welcome joy.
The movie builds to its zombie reveal. Beyond an opening shot of a zombie deer, the movie doesn't show zombies for a while, showing people running and panicking as everyone else goes about their day. When a woman slips on the train who has been infected, it does not take long for violence to break out.
At a certain point, genre films blur together. It's difficult to get excited about the next vampire movie or werewolf movie. Zombie movies are especially egregious because they seem to all follow too many similar tropes.
Train to Busan is an incredible exception. While it certain follows some tropes along the way, it is so incredibly poignant and well made that it rises above its peers easily. It may be too bold to call any movie a perfect representation of anything, but Train to Busan may be the perfect zombie movie.
This movie follows Seok-yoo (Gong Yoo), an absentee father and selfish fund manager, who decides to do something nice for his daughter Su-an (Kim Su-an) by taking her to see her mother on her birthday. On his way, a sudden strange pandemic breaks out, and the train is overrun by zombies.
The story builds slowly and carefully even as the audience knows what is coming. It introduces the main dynamic of Seok-yoo and Su-an as well as other characters that plays a major role. Sang-hwa (Ma Dong-seok) and Seong-kyeong (Jung Yu-mi) are a married couple expecting their first child.
Yong-guk (Choi Woo-shik) is traveling with his baseball team as well as his friend and potential girlfriend Jin-hee (Sohee). A homeless man (Choi Gwi-hwa) slips onto the train when the outbreak triggers his PTSD. There are also various other dynamics including a pair of older best friends and a whole lot of arrogant rich people.
Early on, the audience has a clear sense of everyone on the train and their desires. The film does a good job of keeping the audience invested in the struggle of the individuals so that each death that comes hurts or is a welcome joy.
The movie builds to its zombie reveal. Beyond an opening shot of a zombie deer, the movie doesn't show zombies for a while, showing people running and panicking as everyone else goes about their day. When a woman slips on the train who has been infected, it does not take long for violence to break out.
Sang-hwa was the hero none of us deserved. (Image Courtesy of: latimes.com)
This movie is appropriately bloody and openly violent. The zombie make-up is pretty simple but effective with the actors fully committing to their rabid roles as blood covers their faces. These zombies are stupid but fast, which makes the spread quick and frightening.
As the threat becomes more real and everywhere the train stops runs into an outbreak, the movie picks up in a big way. There are some sensational scenes of the dwindling group working together to survive. The way they use the train and the zombie's need for direct eyesight is inspired.
At its core, the movie is about relationships as well as class struggle. Seok-yoo is an entitled rich man who does not seem to be able to get all his priorities in order. As the outbreak gets worse though, he takes the right path helping his daughter and others while risking his life.
This is juxtaposed by other rich men especially Yon-suk (Kim Eui-sung), a CEO who leads a group in trying to isolate themselves and even keep out those actively fighting. The movie does not treat him kindly including casually throwing other human beings into the zombies to give him more time.
Zombie movies always have a tinge of social commentary, and this film does that well without coming off as pretentious. It also develops the characters in such a way that their changing relationships feel natural especially Seok-yoo and Su-an.
It is emotional watching this father, who had been lost in his own world, come to terms with what is important. When he gets infected near the close of the film, it is a truly depressing and painful scene to watch as he forces his daughter to let go of him so that he can jump off the train.
This movie is focused and effective, fun and grotesque, emotional and dramatic. It is an incredible film from director Yeon Sang-ho (The King of Pigs), who has an eye for style with his pacing and camera focus throughout the film. Screenwriter Park Joo-suk (Hwayi: A Monster Boy) gives the story its dramatic heart.
I rarely leave a movie this energized, but Train to Busan is special. It is just about as close to a modern classic as a zombie movie can be. I could watch this film 100 times over and likely only fall in love with it more. It is fantastic from start to finish.
As the threat becomes more real and everywhere the train stops runs into an outbreak, the movie picks up in a big way. There are some sensational scenes of the dwindling group working together to survive. The way they use the train and the zombie's need for direct eyesight is inspired.
At its core, the movie is about relationships as well as class struggle. Seok-yoo is an entitled rich man who does not seem to be able to get all his priorities in order. As the outbreak gets worse though, he takes the right path helping his daughter and others while risking his life.
This is juxtaposed by other rich men especially Yon-suk (Kim Eui-sung), a CEO who leads a group in trying to isolate themselves and even keep out those actively fighting. The movie does not treat him kindly including casually throwing other human beings into the zombies to give him more time.
Zombie movies always have a tinge of social commentary, and this film does that well without coming off as pretentious. It also develops the characters in such a way that their changing relationships feel natural especially Seok-yoo and Su-an.
It is emotional watching this father, who had been lost in his own world, come to terms with what is important. When he gets infected near the close of the film, it is a truly depressing and painful scene to watch as he forces his daughter to let go of him so that he can jump off the train.
This movie is focused and effective, fun and grotesque, emotional and dramatic. It is an incredible film from director Yeon Sang-ho (The King of Pigs), who has an eye for style with his pacing and camera focus throughout the film. Screenwriter Park Joo-suk (Hwayi: A Monster Boy) gives the story its dramatic heart.
I rarely leave a movie this energized, but Train to Busan is special. It is just about as close to a modern classic as a zombie movie can be. I could watch this film 100 times over and likely only fall in love with it more. It is fantastic from start to finish.
