28 Days Later meets Snowpiercer in this absolutely thrilling horror ride
While recording a recent episode of the Geek Wolfpack Podcast, I mentioned that sometimes our tastes make for strange bedfellows. In Episode 77, we covered John Wick and Mr. Iglesias within 30 minutes. That was a strange combination born from our love of one fluffy stand-up comedian and one Gun-Fu action hero.
Brandon and I had a chance to see Jim Jarmusch’s most recent film, The Dead Don’t Die, in theaters just a week before. It’s a super dry humor vehicle starring Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Chloe Devigny, and a ton of other stars. While prepping for the movie, I read that Jarmusch’s favorite zombie movie is a little known flick called “Train to Busan.” (It’s also a favorite of Sean of the Dead writer Edgar Wright.) I figured it was worth a watch and holy crap, I loved this movie.
Train to Busan: The Plot
Train to Busan is the first live-action movie directed by Sang-ho Yeon, who had previously built his reputation in anime movies. The film introduces its characters and its plot in a pretty concise first act. A deadbeat dad has worked himself out of his marriage and almost out of his daughter’s life.
She begs him to let her travel from Seoul to Busan so she can be with her mother. At the same time, his company makes a controversial decision to pull all funding from a biotech venture – a move that will cause unrest and thousands of layoffs. He’s self-absorbed and job focused. At the last minute, he chooses to escort his daughter on the train ride, if only to make peace with his ex-wife. As they board the train, a strange person manages to sneak on board.
Train to Busan: The Action
Given the title, someone might assume that the entire movie takes place aboard a train. This is not the case. In fact, any time the characters must depart, the action ramps up even further. It all starts aboard the KTX 101 to Busan, when one zombie (a term that is only used in the movie once) begins to spread the bloodthirsty infection among the passengers and crew. (A strong argument can be made for Do-im Woo’s cabin attendant as the most terrifying undead in the film.)
The film’s second and third act bounce between emotional consequences and flat-out action. There is an anime style insanity that Yeon manages to translate from his experience. The scale of the terror moves from personal to enormous from one shot to the next. The result is well developed characters in a tense and chaotic environment that will have viewers riveted.
Trian to Busan: The Message
Train to Busan is filled with conflicted characters. There is an obvious message of compassion over selfishness, but that message has ever changing consequences. There is a beauty to the actions of several characters, even while they face insane odds to survive.
The film hints several times at story arcs that have been visited before. Yeon and his crew offer up new visuals and well-timed twists to keep the viewers guessing. The result is a fast-paced, emotionally-anchored, visual thrill ride that isn’t just one of the best zombie movies of this century. It’s one of the best horror movies, period.
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