Today’s quick review: Train to Busan. Fund manager Seo Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) takes the morning off to take his daughter Su-an (Kim Su-an) to see her mother in Busan. But when a woman bitten by a zombie boards the train at the last minute, the entire vehicle becomes a deathtrap. As most of the passengers are infected and turned into zombies, Seo works with the few survivors to secure the forward cars and get to safety.
Train to Busan is a Korean action horror movie about a zombie outbreak on board a train. Train to Busan distinguishes itself by taking the basic ideas of the zombie genre and executing them with unusual skill. The confined environment of a passenger train proves to be a perfect setting for the film, and its intense action, moral conundrums, and powerful emotional core make it a strong choice for any fans of the genre.
Train to Busan gets its zombies right. They move quickly and erratically, making them a serious threat in the confines of the train, and the victims turn within seconds. As such, the outbreak spreads rapidly, transforming the passengers into an avalanche of snapping, snarling flesh. At the same time, the survivors have occasional opportunities to fight back, keeping the tone from getting too bleak and providing the opportunity for heroism.
Train to Busan also succeeds with its characters. The focus is on Seo Seok-woo, a man who was too obsessed with his work to spend time with his daughter. Over the course of the outbreak, he questions his selfish ways and finds himself risking his life to help perfect strangers. The rest of the survivors are interesting as well, with stories ranging from tender to tragic, and the film weaves them into the plot with skill.
Give Train to Busan a shot if you have any interest in the zombie genre. Its rampant gore and frequently tragic tone will not appeal to everyone, but the strength of its ideas, its acting, and its action make it worthwhile for almost anyone who can stomach it.
For zombie action in a similar vein, check out World War Z, I Am Legend, or 28 Weeks Later. For a similar look at an unfolding disaster, try War of the Worlds or Cloverfield. For a more surreal, politically-minded thriller set aboard a train, try Snowpiercer. For a more tongue-in-cheek action thriller about an unusual threat in an enclosed space, try Snakes on a Plane.
[7.6 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5700672/). I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for thrilling action and a compelling story.