One hell of an intense, exciting, and emotional ride

Rating: 9/10 (6 November 2019)

A motley assortment of passengers on a train going from Seoul to Bosun are put in great jeopardy when they find themselves caught up in a sudden zombie outbreak both on said train and in the outside world as well.
Director/co-writer Sang-ho Yeon keeps the gripping story hurtling along at a breathless breakneck pace, takes time to develop the characters, ably builds a tremendous amount of nerve-rattling tension, maintains a tough take-no-prisoners tone throughout, and stages the attack scenes with rousing go-for-the-throat gusto. Most importantly, Yeon and co-writer Joo-Suk Park bring a surprising pronounced element of pathos and humanity to the premise which in turn ensures that there's plenty of genuinely moving heart to go along with all the harrowing horror. The excellent acting by the tip-top cast further keeps the film on track, with especially stand-out contributions from Yoo Gong as negligent workaholic dad Seok-woo, Su-an Kim as his estranged daughter Soo-an, Dong-seok Ma as the brave Sang-hwa, Yu-mi Jung as the pregnant Seong-Kyeong, Eui-sung Kim as selfish business tycoon Yon-suk, Gwi-hwa Choi as a scared homeless guy, and Sohee as perky cheerleader Jin-hee. The infected folks are extremely ferocious and frightening. Proof positive that there's still some invigorating life left in the zombie horror genre.