Train to Busan

Unaware that an unidentified epidemic, transforming people into zombies, is raging across the country, a workaholic father and his young daughter board the last train to Busan…

 

Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan is essentially a zombie movie, complete with infected beings, a subgenre of horror cinema. The cult film respects the register’s standards and brings them to life in the best possible way. The director, who also penned the screenplay, brilliantly focuses his attention on one group of survivors, knowing full well that not all of them will make it out alive. Some of them will reveal themselves to be extraordinary, even to the point of self-sacrifice, while others will turn out to be nothing but cowardly nimble-minded capitalists who think only of themselves and their own profit. The film also runs at a dual pace, both sustained without respite. There is the rhythm of the train churning on at high speed, a sort of South Korean TGV, and then there are the relentless attacks by the infected, zombies full of alacrity who never tire. Yeon Sang-ho steers his film like a coachman would guide a stagecoach pursued by bandits through the Grand Canyon: every stop is a source of danger, and all the social tensions play out inside the vehicle. Like any good genre film, Train to Busan exposes the glaring inequalities in its country’s society: the alienation of workers, whether they’re factory workers or traders, and the loss of any points of reference… except for money. Yet without ever reducing the film to a simplistic black-or-white view, Yeon Sang-ho places the concept of the human being at the center of everything, thanks in particular to the character portrayed by the excellent Ma Dong-seok, a sort of South Korean Lino Ventura, who quickly understands what his mission is and never wavers, even when he risks becoming infected! A redemptive attack on rampant capitalism, Train to Busan weaves its political message into the narrative, delivering a thrilling and breathtaking spectacle. It even shows some signs of hope, provided humanity wakes up in time.

Virginie Apiou