Movie Review: Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer (Seolgungnyeolcha)
Starring:  Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, Ed Harris
Director: Bong Joon-ho
CJ Entertainment, Union Investment Partners, Moho Films, Opus Pictures, South Korea, Czech Republic, USA, France 2013. 

 

To battle global warming cooling chemical CW7 was released to atmosphere. Unfortunately the plan worked and the Earth was frozen killing nearly all life. In 2031 the surviving humans are living in an ever moving giant train Snowpiercer. The train was created by rich industrialist Wilford (Ed Harris). The people living in the last cars are oppressed and living in slave-like conditions while the people in the front cars live privileged life depicting not so subtle social commentary. The leader of the poor people is a man named Curtis (Chris Evans) who has an older mentor Gilliam (John Hurt). Curtis has also a friend Edgar (Jamie Bell)

Gilliam, Curtis and Edgar

Curtis has to do tough choices

Snowpiercer's engine pushing forward

The poor people start a revolution and free a drug-addicted security expert Namgoong Minsu (Song Kang-ho known also from the movies Shiri, J.S.A. and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) and his clairvoyant daughter Yona (Go Ah-sung). The first "enemy boss" is Minister Mason (Tilda Swinton) who supports Wilford with religious fervour. Mason also holds an interesting speech about shoe. However the advancing of Curtis and his troops begins to disrupt the balance of the closed system in the train. The train also has some resources that are the last ones in the world such as bullets and cigarettes. 

Namgoong Minsu is smarter than it first seems

Minister Mason talks about shoe

Disturbingly perky school teacher

Travelling through different surreal cars offers serene moments in between bloody action scenes. The movie is a bleak depiction of future but has also some dark humour. For example there is a scene when the battle ceases and the combatants celebrate New Year as the train travels through a narrow bridge and pushes through snowbanks. Then the battle continues as if nothing happened!

Shouldn't have opened that door

The whole world is frozen

The train has even an aquarium

Snowpiercer is an unique style action scifi movie with inventive visuals. It has philosophical aspects and it works as an action film.

Here's an animated prequel that leads into the dark mood of the movie. 

Rating:Very good