The Lazy Cinema

Directed By: Sang-ho Yeon
Written By: Sang-ho Yeon
Runtime: 118 minutes

Genre: Action & Adventure, Foreign Film, Horror, Thriller
Language: Korean

The Lazy Cinema Rating: 9/10
You’d enjoy if you liked: The Host (2006), Snowpiercer (2013), Seoul Station (2016)

Plot Summary: A man, his estranged daughter and other passengers become trapped on a speeding train during a zombie outbreak in South Korea.

I know what you’re thinking. Another Zombie movie? Really? Well don’t be so quick to roll them eyes, you may miss something.

Train to Busan is one of those rare movies that, whilst up against a host of anti-climactic, disappointing predecessors of the genre, succeeds on almost every level. 

Composed of a simple idea that even Samuel L Jackson would approve of (Zombies, on a train. Get it?) whilst it doesn’t take the Z-Genre in any new direction, it delivers on neck-biting terror through a well assembled thriller.

As the plot summary says, we start off with a busy business man (Gong Yoo), who out of fear of once again disappointing his rather sullen daughter reluctantly takes some time off work to escort her to see her mother on her birthday.

It’s not long before signs of something gone wrong start to appear, accumulating intensely in the background of their journey, only noticed slightly by the young daughter (ofcourse!), until eventually zombies take over the train. It is here we are met with a wealth of new characters, a grown-up action man, his pregnant girlfriend, some high school kids and (rather unnecessarily in this writers opinion) a crazy homeless guy who must band together if they wish to survive.

The very film is nothing original, there are even subtle notes throughout of Snowpiercer (2013), made by another South Korean director, but Director Sang-ho Yeon’s use of the cramped corridors, the speed of the train and a few near crashes thrown in for the fun of it creates an intense thriller you can’t help but be captivated by. 

Train to Busan is the zombie apocalypse movie that dominated the box office the world over and has become one of the Korean thriller movies “must-watch”

If you’re a fan of Z-Genre, Korean film or you just enjoy a good thriller; grab a ticket, take a seat and let Sang-ho Yeon take you on a suspense fuelled journey.