Train to Busan

Suspenseful and intense horror film

This is the most suspenseful, intense movie that I have watched. It is August 2021, and I finally got around to watching this movie, five years after the release. The K-movie production staff, crew and cast outdid themselves. All of Korea must have worked as extras. The last seven minutes had me tearing up.

The acting by the main cast was very good, and the Zombie extras must have had a lot of fun playing the ghouls. Sadly, only two of the train passengers survived. The director is a visionary, bringing the screenwriter's mental thoughts on paper to virtual life.

The virus that began in a lab seems to have an eerie message of a deadly virus that is unleashed on mankind.

It is a rollercoaster train ride from the time, the first zombie appears at the train station.

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10/10 — and I’m not even exaggerating.

This movie genuinely changed how I see zombie films.

Yes, it’s intense. Yes, it’s stressful. But what stayed with me wasn’t the infection or the chaos — it was the sacrifices.

Watching Gong Yoo’s character evolve from a distant, work-obsessed father into someone willing to give up everything for his daughter? That hurt in the most powerful way. His final moments weren’t just tragic — they were meaningful. It wasn’t about fear anymore. It was about love.

And then there’s Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee).
The way he protected everyone. The strength. The heart. The quiet heroism. His sacrifice hit differently because he didn’t hesitate. He just acted. Pure courage.

What I loved most is how this film shows:

In crisis, you see who people truly are.

Some choose selfishness.

Some choose humanity.

It’s rare for a thriller to make you feel this deeply. I wasn’t just watching survival — I was watching redemption, love, and the cost of protecting others.

This movie didn’t just scare me.
It broke me.

And that’s why it’s a 10/10.

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Best

If you love thrillers and zombie flicks, then you are in for a ride with this one. This film has it all: the hero arc, character development, insane action, relentless tension, drama, tear jerk, comedy, special effects, great cinematography and most of all excellent pace! Well done to the Korean cinema. Excellent film. Me and Korean cinema have always had a good relationship, I tend to enjoy their works and this right here is their coup de grace.Full of fantastic characters, great writing and several scenes that need to be seen to be believed Train To Busan shows how fresh the zombie sub genre can be in the right hands.

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Get on board the zombie express.

Train to Busan can best be described as a Korean clash between Snowpiercer and World War Z. The Korean thriller's zombies and special effects are world-class, but the emotional bits can get a little cheesy.

I can really appreciate when the entire plot of a genre film can be summed up in one sentence. A simple and effective concept that arouses curiosity: Snakes on an airplane. A tornado with sharks. Okay... you understand that it might not be the world's best movie every time, but you know exactly what you're getting, and if you go along with those premises, you're in for a while of good entertainment.

So what happens when you put a zombie on an express train? It doesn't take long, of course, for things to go off the rails. Bloody chaos as more and more people are bitten, the survivors' fight for life and death. Being trapped with the living dead in tight spaces is never a good idea if you ever find yourself in that position. It's claustrophobic, and really rough.

The conflicts that arise among the group of people, the fear that breeds mistrust and selfish thinking, are not new. Countless Stephen King movies have explored this with what happens to ordinary people in terrifying situations. It becomes more exciting, however, when zombies have to face the danger, as when a small group of passengers have to sneak past several carriages without becoming someone's dinner.

We need to talk about the zombies! Someone may have been inspired by World War Z and its hordes of the undead, and created equally insane creatures that you don't want to share a carriage with. They are really fast, and all rabid. They're not necessarily the smartest, but good nasty designed with their sickly faces and jerky movements. Arms and legs are twisted in unnatural directions - It's hard to tell where the intense effort of the actors ends and special effects take over.

The story in Train to Busan is bigger than what takes place on the train. The news tells about something that has happened around the country. "Zombie" is trending as a keyword. It looks and feels like a big, lavish disaster thriller, which has chosen to zoom in on a few really unlucky individuals. But if it sounds loaded and gloomy, then... Well. There's a kind of cheesy B-movie humor that makes us laugh, too. The occasional goofy zombie or cocky alpha male opens up fun elements and the audience seems to love it.

At worst, the pieces are meant to be emotional, where you touch so the strings bleed. The relationship between a guilt-ridden father and his neglected daughter takes up a lot of space, and sometimes becomes unnecessarily sentimental. The film is also longer than it needed to be, with several dead transport stretches. And just when you think we're at the end, it continues with a finale that should have been better - Or in any case completely scrapped.

Watch it with zombie-crazy friends and you have a wonderful and terrifying 2-hour journey ahead of you.

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I just came back from a screening of Train to Busan! In my country is rare that asian films make it to the big screen, so I was very excited to be able to watch it and I’m happy to report I wasn’t disappointed.

The story is generic, nothing we haven’t seen before, but the way the film is shot and the how the characters related to each other is what makes this movie worthwhile. I particularly enjoyed how the film demonstrate that humans’ survival instinct is linked to certain selfishness (embodied in Kim Eui-sung’s character) I was on the edge of my seat through the two hours and whispering to the characters what to do so they could survive and get to Busan.

Gong Yoo has always been a good actor but lately he has being excelling with his performances and this time is no different. He really made me connect with his character and what he was going through.

Ma Dong-seok, as you would expect, stole every scene he was in. From badass warrior to doting husband and comic relief. Jung Yumi and Kim Soo-ahn are the ones bringing all the feels.

By the time we get to the final scene I was holding my breath, praying the survivors would make it to through the tunnel. I really enjoyed the film and if you have the chance to watch it on the silver screen, do it!

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i’ve rewatched this multiple times with friends

i never thought i would cry so much from a zombie movie but every time i watch this i’m crying a river throughout. i’ve even had some of my non korean/non kdrama loving friends watch this and they loved it as well! really good, action packed, ‘horror’ movie. i wouldn’t really consider this a horror movie (i was able to watch it and i absolutely hate horror with a burning passion) it mostly just has jump scares but it was still a really great movie. youll fall in love with many of the characters! i don’t really remember much in terms of music so that’s why i rated the music less, but i don’t remember it being bad either. overall, great to watch with friends you’ll be yelling at the tv and crying your eyes out but you’ll like it>:|

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The Ending Is So Sad!

I thought this was going to be a movie about a train accident!

Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I finally got to watch the movie....

It is not so much as a SCARY movie, but a psychological movie.

However, it keeps you on the edge of your seat and as I have said before, the difference between a good movie and a GREAT movie is keeping you on the edge of your seat and you forgetting that you are actually watching a movie!

Imagine being on your way to your ex-wife's place with your child, and everyone is being turned into zombies?

That is exactly what happens in this movie to Seo Suk Woo (Gong Yoo) and his daughter, Seo Soo Ahn (Kim Soo An) as they travel on a high-speed train toward Busan, which turns out to be the only safe place for all the few people left on their train who have not been infected yet; the director has your attention from the moment the first 'infected' climb on board the ill-fated train and he keeps your attention until the survivors reach the safety of the Busan outskirts.

The movement of the film from one couple to the other is expertly done, with your attention never

Suk Woo is a self-centered man whose relationship with his daughter is more than "strained"; he believes that his work is more important than his daughter, who herself sees him (rightly) as self-centered and egotistical.

What is so ironic about Suk Woo is that he learns to be selfless toward his daughter and others, way too late!

What I like about this film is 1) that it doesn't give the 'infected' or the survivors super-human strength or powers; the survivors take the kind of precautions that a normal person would if they were in the same situation. Also, the 'infected' also do not have any super-human powers, but lack the ability to be able to do may things that a normal person would be able to do (which makes the survivors' job that much easier!

2) characters that developed over the course of the movie (imagine what a series about this could do!); all except one character grew due to the disaster, although a series would have allowed for more development of the characters and a look at the backgrounds of the different main cast members (I personally would like to have seen the background story of Yong Suk (played by Kim Eui Sung) in this setting.

3) the fast pace of the events taking place; no one has time to do much except react to each individual situation that presents itself.

4) we see all three main couples, the high school couple, the couple expecting a baby, and the father /daughter duo, willing to sacrifice for the women in the film ...in different ways.

5) To a lesser extent, toe story of the two elderly sisters (Ye Soo Jung and Park Myung Shin), being a minor story, but as you will see, an important one for the final outcome of the survivors, is itself worth waiting for.

6) The music (which i am learning to pay more attention to as I watch more movies) is minimal; in my opinion, the ringing phones replace much of the music as being most important in this movie.

7) the survivors are almost eliminated at the end; only a grieving song saves their lives as they emerge to safety at the end of the movie.

What I dislikes was 1) the fear and apprehension of some of the survivors as a small group emerges from another car inhabited by the 'infected'; what is ironic, the small group are the only ones to come close to surviving: had they all co-operated, more would have lived to make it to safety. They acted as the villagers in the movie SEVEN SAMURAI (1954), helpless to do anything except the wrong thing!
2) the anti-hero Yong Suk (Kim Eui Sung) who is a well-known actor but I have never seen in any movie before...his greedy obsession with reaching Busan led to the deaths of many of the support and main cast members. I will be watching for him in other movies from now on!
3) some of the other survivors acted selfishly, causing the 'infection' of other survivors. All could have made it had they cooperated along the way!

By the way, I have never seen Gonge Yoo act before, but his best scene in this movie is his last one, without a doubt!

A "SPECIAL MENTION" should go to the captain of the bullet train (Jung Suk Yong), who made it possible for the last survivors to get a chance to escape to Busan, and the director for allowing him that privilege; he remained col and collected while others lost their ability to think clearly!

All in all, passing up this movie would be a grave mistake!

The cinematography was excellent, from the zombies (the mass support cast most of which are not listed individually) to the main cast members appear to portray their characters well; and work together toward making the movie seem realistic and such a blockbuster!

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!

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Ending Spoiler!!

This was an amazing movie. It had a great story, wonderful acting, and the production was amazing.

I had heard alot about this movie being great but never took the time to watch it. I finally had to search for it when this movie was brought up in a tv show I was watching. I’m disappointed I hadn’t watched it sooner! It was a fantastic movie! Definitely something you don’t want to miss if you enjoy this genre.

Although I did highly enjoy watching this movie I am just a little bit disappointed with the ending. The ending of this movie was much more sad than I expected. Out of all of the characters that you are introduced to throughout the movie only two survive the whole thing. There’s a moment towards the very end where it seems as if those last two may also be killed off and in my opinion it would have made a better movie if they had been. Although it would have been heart breaking to see them go, it would have made for a much more interesting ending because I’ve never seen a movie where no one survived in the end.


Despite this, as I had stated in the beginning, this is an amazing movie. Great actors, great story, and great production. It’s definitely on my rewatch list

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cry

Usually I'm not a big fan of zombies or apocalypse kind of theme but this one really caught me off guard.

Every character was worth getting attached to, I cried every time ne of them died. And the acting was amazing, really mind blowing. The little girl at the end broke me, I have a feeling she's going to accomplish great things because that scene... really just made me cry a literal ocean.

I've actually watched this movie 3 times because I really never get tired of it, everyone just did such a great job. Every character was portrayed so well I'm so proud of everyone.

This movie will forever hold a special place in my heart due to the amazing screenplay of every actor, and the breathtaking plot. I'm forever amazed by it and I have a feeling I will NEVER get tired of it.

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