During its North American theater run, Train to Busan was playing in a movie theater that I could get to so I got myself together and went to see it. I remember a time a long ago that you couldn't see Korean films if you lived in America but times have changed. Now, if the film is successful in South Korea, it gets brought over her for people to see in select theaters. No just nonkoreans, but even Koreans who live aboard in the states can see these films. It like an event for them and I know...( The theater was packed to the brim with Korean people when I went to see Assignation.) Train to Busan came just like the other films but had an extended run because the subject matter of the film was so popular with moviegoers. Who doesn't like a good zombie movie?
This film was number one in Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and South Korea. It also had great reviews from most critics who viewed the film and was selected as New York Times top picks list for films. Yeon Sang-ho(The Fake, King of Pigs) directed the film that stars Gang Yoo, Ma Dong seok, Jung Yu-mi(Oki's Movie, Our Suni), Kim Su-an, and Choi woo-shim(Set me free). Currently this film had over 11 million admissions in South Korea alone.
A man and his daughter board a train heading to the city of Busan. On their way there events start to happen on the train that put all the passengers lives in danger... The train goes into chaos but is the outside world truly safe?
I was a little weary about the plot of Train to Busan when I first realized what would transpire. Many people are trapped on a train and want to get off. Good concept but that not going to carry a two hour and some minute film to it's finish. Well, it can but that going to become one dried out film. The people who wrote the script know this and they try to plan all events that happen carefully. The first few scenes set up for the viewer that something is going on in the city that definitely shouldn't be. You also get introduced to the main character and his circumstances with his young daughter. His daughter comes off as a little old beyond her years in personality but she sinks back into being a kid when she needs help. Once on the train, the other batch of characters are introduced. They are all pretty likable except for the select few who clear are suffering from a personality problem. From there the film hits one conflict after another. Its constant terror honestly. You feel sorry for the horrible events that happen aboard this train to busan but its entertaining to watch anyway. The train feels a little closed in at times but your world doesn't feel like its been cut off. The news clips let you know whats going on outside and the cellphone calls are all that needs to be said as well. I was surprised how this film took such a simple setting and turned it into a stage for so many different events to happen. There will be times that you will want to shout at characters to run, jump from shock, and just downright feel overwhelmed. Another thing I would like to add is that the promotional trailer doesn't give the slightest clue that this film is a zombie movie. I didn't know and how I found out was reading comments online. People who are reading this should know by now that this film is a zombie film so I have no bad feelings typing this. SPOILER FREE ONCE AGAIN!
I don't want to single out a single or actress while typing this paragraph because everyone did a fantastic job for the overall performance of the film to be successful. Human emotions like fear and greed play big part in the structural makeup of the characters. That say when your backed into a corner, your true self comes out in order to survive. I as a viewer could see that emotion in every single actor and actress's eyes when I watched them in character on screen. The combine nature of every character's actions really paints a big red arrow to the role of humanism in our lives. The worth of how much our love ones really mean to us. Would you put them before yourself? Times of turmoil makes your realized how much you cared about the person your with all the time. Being with them all the time sometimes makes you take them for granted. Remember from time to time that we all get one life on this earth and time passes by that doesn't rewind. Cherish your love ones when you can even if you don't always agree. You will miss them when their gone. Train to Busan's underline meaning is what I just constructed in to words above. The performances drive this fact home till the shocking conclusion. Got to give it up to the people who played the zombies too. I never felt so sad and annoyed at zombies in my life.
The camera is all about getting the perfect close ups when necessary. Facial expression was a must to set the right emotional tone for the viewers to be put in the right place of terror. Things might have got a little to close during some shots. I found myself slowing moving back when a zombie face was in the screen. The train was made to seem long and far because of the overhead shots. you could see everything that was happening but the camera also shifts to the floor to make the people seem like the are hovering above the audience's field of vision. Places that were shown on the outside are like a breath of fresh air. Especially the transit between each stop before you get to the city stations. Those free fields untouched be what was going on felt like a safe heaven.
I hundred and ten percent loved this film from start to finish. Not a dull moment can be found here. Train to Busan's fire continues to burn like someone keeps throwing gasoline on it.
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