Cast:
Gong Yoo (Seok-woo), Ma Dong-seok (Sang-hwa), Kim Su-an (Su-an), Jung Yu-mi (Seong-kyeong), Choi Woo-shik (Yong-guk), Ahn So-hee (Jin-hee), Kim Eui-sung (Yon-suk), Choi Gwi-hwa (Homeless man), Jeong Seok-yong (Captain of KTX), Ye Soo-jung (In-gil), and Park Myung-sin (Jong-gil) Directed by Yeon Sang-ho.
Review:
"I thought using a continuously moving isolated space like a train would be interesting. And I thought it was similar to our lives. Human life also flows in one direction, toward death, whether we want it to or not … What’s important to me is what kind of life I will live in the cube where my final destination has already been decided."
It never hurts to find another new voice for cinema, so it is equally useful to reach a film from South Korea alongside one from Yeon Sang-ho, featured in the midst of his career that shifted focus from a reputation as a director of animation into live action. He had a love of animation from his youth, and he spent his developing years finding inspiration in directors such as Hayao Miyazaki. A graduate of Sangmyung University in Western Painting, Yeon made his way into filmmaking with short films starting with Meglomania of D (1997). He continued with his work in shorts in the span of over a decade before making his feature-length directorial/writer debut with The King of Pigs (2011), which received considerable attention despite its low budget as an animated feature aimed for more mature audiences. This is his third feature film and the first of two directed in the year of 2016, as Seoul Station would be released a few months after as an animated prequel to this film (his most recent release in Peninsula (2020) incidentally serves as a standalone sequel). The film seems reminiscent of other zombie films (as Yeon had an appreciation for both the works of George A. Romero and Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake), albeit with a focus on distinct action through various spaces within melodrama usually seen in Korean dramas.
So here we are, a zombie movie (written by Park Joo-suk) taking place on a train with a bit of social commentary along the way that makes for an involving film to go along with. It moves along with quick intensity and conscience for who exactly is in line to survive under these circumstances (on one side, we have the rich cloying among themselves while on the other we have a homeless stowaway that can't even express the horror he saw). The creatures come out of nowhere with blazing speed and fairly quick infection-rate that could spare no one with the wrong circumstances. This is on-the-rails action with a few observations on the way that while not probably as great as say Night of the Living Dead (1968) is at least pretty good entertainment for 118 minutes that keeps its threat looming with effectiveness without forgetting the human element in making useful tension. It starts with Gong (a name quite familiar on Korean television and films over the past few years), who does quite well in lofty curiosity, a cynical man wrapped away from others that include even his daughter before eventually stepping into his own for others that makes for quite an interesting journey to follow. Ma (known for his supporting roles before reaching international prominence with this film) proves well in down-to-earth charm before moving into zombie punching. Kim and Jung (who like the other main group were also name actors with some prominence) do fine in dealing with tension that keeps them on their toes without any hesitation. Choi and Ahn make up an okay pair together, while Kim makes an amusing adversary and Choi makes a worried stowaway count well for support. It proves more daunting with its execution for the first half more so than the second, but it is a generally engaging movie, relying on its environment and character moments to make for engaging action, with one favorite being a scene involving the struggle to let people back into a certain section after fending off creatures. On the whole, it is a riveting adventure worth a watch for some enjoyable action with tight spaces filled with useful actors to fill the space of tension for enjoyment to hitch a ride on.
Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.
