Train to Busan is a Korean zombie film, and for me, it hits a lot of the right notes. It’s one of the more effective horror thrillers I’ve seen in a while.

I had a good feeling of suspense as you watch the people trapped on this long distance express train — which there aren’t many of here in the US — but it’s a very good setting for a tense, claustrophobic environment.

The zombies here are of the 28 Days Later variety, meaning they’re almost not really zombies, but closer to being rabid people. In Train to Busan, the people do die and come back, but they move very quickly.. there aren’t any slow, shambling zombies here.

It’s a film where you don’t know what’s coming next because everybody is expendable and as a result it’s just a tight, well put together piece of filmmaking.

Yes, zombies have been done to death, and this movie doesn’t really break any new ground, but this one is a solid experience, and it’s refreshing to see something put together this well.

So if you’re looking for something that’s suspenseful, claustrophobic, and has a lot of action scenes, I’d recommend giving this one a look.

Rating: 4 stars

Train to Busan is a harrowing zombie horror-thriller that follows a group of terrified passengers fighting their way through a countrywide viral outbreak while trapped on a suspicion-filled, blood-drenched bullet train ride to Busan, a southern resort city that has managed to hold off the zombie hordes… or so everyone hopes.

Director: Yeon Sang-Ho
Cast: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-Mi, Ma Dong-Seok, Kim Eui-Sung
Genre: Foreign, Mystery & Thriller, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Run Time: 118 mins
Theatrical Date: Jul 22, 2016
Original Language: Korean
Subtitle: English