Train to Busan

A good zombie movie leaden with heavy-handed melodrama.

The story follows the titular train departing from Seoul. A wounded woman sneaks aboard, transitions to a zombie, and attacks a train employee. The employee transforms and attacks a passenger. The passenger transforms and attacks another passenger. In minutes, zombies overrun the speeding train, leaving just a handful of survivors.

There’s a lot to like. The constrained setting proves ripe for exploitation, and the film delivers several thrilling set-pieces. The zombies work in packs, growling and spasming like a feral hive-mind. Their sheer numbers elicit shocking visuals. And the cast shines. The good guys exude charisma and the head baddie proves almost comically despicable.

But about that melodrama. Too often, I resented the film’s incessant use of slow motion and swelling music to force emotions. With a cast this good, it’s patronizing. Good tacticians don’t telegraph their punches.