Seok-woo is a fund manager who works too much and has forgotten his daughter’s birthday. Su-an wants to see her mother in Busan, so he takes her on the early train. As the doors close, a woman with a bite on her leg stumbles aboard. By the time the train reaches Daejeon the country has fallen. Train to Busan is the zombie film that made the genre fast, Korean and about class, and it is the best one made this century.
What Happens Between Seoul And Busan
The passengers include Sang-hwa, a huge working-class man played by Ma Dong-seok, and his pregnant wife; a high-school baseball team; a homeless man; and a bus company executive who will sacrifice anyone to stay alive. The infected cannot see in the dark, which matters in tunnels. There is a sequence where three men fight their way through four carriages of zombies using tape on their arms and the tunnel schedule, and it is the best action set piece of 2016 in any language.
Why It Travelled
It premiered at Cannes and made 98 million dollars, most of it in Asia, before anyone in the West had heard of it. Gong Yoo and Ma Dong-seok both became international names. Kim Su-an as the daughter is the heart of it. The animated prequel Seoul Station and the sequel Peninsula exist, but this is the one.
Watch Train To Busan On GoMovies
118 minutes in HD, Korean with subtitles. Press play above. Free, no account.