Train to Busan

The 2016 South Korean action horror film, Train to Busan, captured audiences in a way that was a little different than most other zombie films. Its true that the film was critically very successful, and it is still considered to this day one of the best performing South Korean cinematic releases both in and out of the country, but it was also able to spawn a franchise with an animated prequel film in 2016, a stand-alone sequel film titled Peninsula in 2022, and a further instalment is currently in development, along with an Americanized version (because of course that has to exist). All this goes to show that this wasn’t just another throw-away zombie flick, but rather something that stuck with people in a specific manner. Fund manager and divorced father, Seok-woo (played by Gong Yoo) is taking his daughter Su-an (played by Kim Su-an) to spend her birthday with her mother in Busan, however these plans are halted by a zombie virus taking over the country, causing infected people to make their way on board the train and create ravenous mayhem. Among those trapped on this train along with Seok-woo and Su-an including Sang-hwa (played by Ma Dong-seok) and his pregnant wife Seong-kyeong (played by Jung Yu-mi), high school baseball player, Yong-guk (played by Choi Woo-shik) and his cheerleader girlfriend, Kim Jin-hee (played by Sohee), elderly sisters Jong-gil and In-gil (played by Park Myung-sin and Ye Soo-jung), a crazed homeless man (played by Choi Gwi-hwa) and business executive, Yon-suk (played by Kim Eui-sung), who’s paranoia and self-centred mindset makes him willing to sacrifice anyone who puts his life in danger. With loved ones separated between cars and a hoard of undead (with Seok-woo separated from his daughter on the other side of the train), they will need to learn how this new virus effects people, how they can best combat it within such a cramped environment and work their way through car by car until they are reunited again. While the zombie genre produces content that can be a dime-a-dozen, Train to Busan feels like a step above other outings, with solid performances, dramatic and cinematic visuals, decently laid-out writing, and expertly handled direction.

The general consensus for this film by avid film-goers as well as zombie fanatics is that it is a very high standard for the genre, being able to capture the familiar elements and tropes while still being able to feel elevated and even more prestige in many areas as well. The fear that comes with a zombie film is that it’s a type of movie that has become a bit stale in modern society and has to rely on being entirely original and varied to stand out (like what Warm Bodies tried to do) or tackle the genre in a way that pokes fun of it more than plays it straight (like what Shaun of the Dead accomplished). However, Train to Busan shows that even in 2016, a straightforward zombie flick can actually work and be emotionally effective and gripping if handled with the right element of care, attention, and freshness, which this movie provides in bucket loads. For a film that also has a lot going against it for how things could go wrong (how much can you actually do with a zombie story on a train?), it keenly took advantage of every opportunity possible with this premise and delivered something that is just as effective at being heart-pounding and even pretty thrilling, as it is at being surprisingly rich in emotion and investment. Any film with flesh-eating sprinters has the potential to be threatening and extremely gory, but the truly great zombie films know that it also requires a sense of personal connection and underlying messaging behind its mayhem to really leave an impression, and this film surprisingly manages to do that despite not reaching too far beyond the realms of familiarity. Based on an original story idea created by Park Joo-suk (who wrote the screenplay along with director, Yeon Sang-ho), the main outline for this story is pretty solid; mapping out each of its essential characters, sprinkling in enough social commentary to make it more than just a mindless experience, and managing to create a scenario where the people aren’t entirely stupid, the conflicts are appropriate given where the film takes place, and the stakes are firmly character-driven with context clues being provided in the background. With that said however, its impressive how effectively its handled given that from a pure writing standpoint, nothing is really that new or even different for the genre; the commentary about one’s true self coming to the surface during crisis (whether it be a good or a bad change) is decent but not delivered in a fantastically new way, the characters are fleshed out enough to be likeable, but aren’t much above standard archetypes, and the dialogue is decent and gets its point across nicely but nothing spoken is that entirely original either. It all comes from a directing standpoint, as the directing by Yeon Sang-ho is truly magnificent. Being his first live-action directorial film (previously directing animated films like The King of Pigs and The Fake), his ability to craft this picture is insanely impressive, leading the writing, actors, visuals, tone and even production value in a manner that makes the film leap off the screen in a way that feels escalated, but not to the degree that it falls into hoaky territory, it’s still very grounded, mature and extremely emotional in parts surprisingly.

The characters are the part of the film that feel the most enigmatic as they are surprisingly engaging and sympathetic despite not being the most complex individuals. Most of the supporting roles aren’t given a lot of screentime, the set-up for each of them is nothing that special and it doesn’t even feel like the movie provides the audience with most of their names, and yet somehow, these roles are very nicely handled through the writing and acting, making you actively care about these people regardless of how much you know about them and wish to see them get through this situation (and even feel genuinely bad when they don’t). It really feels like a credit to the acting particularly, as pretty much everybody in this movie is giving it their all and doing a great job delivering these scenes that in lesser hands could’ve come across as cheesy and overly dramatic. The only person who suffers this is Kim Eui-sung who acts as the film’s antagonist (at least one that is still breathing), as his character is designed in a sense that feels very shallow and only exists to be a hurdle for the characters to overcome, which along with an over-the-top delivery results in the role feeling the least impressive amongst a cast of truly impressive performers. Gong Yoo as the lead starts off passable if a little basic, but as the film continues and he’s allowed to emote and express himself a bit more, he knocks it out of the park. Kim Su-an as his daughter also starts off a little one-note, but she progressively gets more endearing and also nails some of the more emotional beats very effectively. Ma Dong-seok and Jung Yu-mi are particularly good as the couple who despite having a tougher exterior provide the most care and support for the main group, most of the supporting characters only get singular scenes to shine, yet they are handled very strongly, and even very minor performances from people like Lee Joo-shil, Jeong Seok-yong, Han Seong-soo and Kim Chang-hwan are equally as impressive.

A lot of credit should go to the extras who portrayed all the zombies in this film, because the way they’re handled in this flick does feel a bit more intriguing than other outings and not necessarily due to unique components or looks, but rather just through how they present themselves. The make-up effects and overall design of them is pretty effective with the vessels trailing throughout the body, their contorted manner of movement before and after they’ve turned, their speed and even unique attributes like losing awareness in the dark, their creepily whited out eyes and horrific aggression, it makes them genuinely creepy, which is impressive given how accustomed pop culture has grown to them recently, and most scenes involving them are effectively tense and visually pretty memorable with aspects like watching hoards chase down a runaway train or a giant crowd breaking through glass,  it’s all pretty great stuff. This train in general is a pretty nice location to spend the film on despite the fact that it could very easily be limiting. It’s not the only location that’s shown in the film, but how it uses its cramped and disjointed layout provides for memorable action scenes like having to push through a car one by one to reach another destination, effectively separating the cast of characters to provide different viewpoints of a single location, and the very nice cinematography by Lee Hyung-deok allows the inside of the train as well as the outside to look clean, clear and very cinematic. There’s a lot of fun dramatic angles, a lot of great sweeping establishing shots, and even some nice suspenseful sequences that take advantage of the horror-esque atmosphere, yet never feels too slow-moving to the point that it forgets its more action-oriented placement. The production design by Mok-won Lee is nice and polished, matching the film’s glossier appeal, and even the costume design by Yoo-Jin Kwon and Seung-Hee Rim manages to look pretty nice both for the infected and for the living (it’s a simple idea but seeing a white business suit drenched in blood is a memorable visual for this kind of movie).

For those who haven’t witnessed this film yet and are either itching for something fresh within a genre that can very frequently by stale, or just want another one to indulge in if you adore this type of flick, Train to Busan will satisfy both sides. Its not surprising how this film at its release was the highest grossing film in South Korea for the year and is still held in high regard as one of the country’s most successful films, considering how much this movie holds up not just as a zombie film, but as just a movie in general from the quality of its camera work, acting, script and direction. It ticks all the expected boxes, goes above and beyond certain aspects that are usually toned down in other zombie flicks, and provides an experience that may not wow and surprise, but will definitely engross and entertain. Plenty to bite your teeth into, this is a definite recommendation.