There is a sequence midway through Snowpiercer that perfectly articulates what makes Korean writer/director Bong Joon-ho among the most dynamic filmmakers currently working. Protagonist Curtis Everett (Chris Evans) and his ragtag band of rebels have just entered a train compartment where they are ambushed by a legion of men armed with axes. Everett bravely (or foolishly, depending on your perspective) leads the charge and the two armies engage in a no-holds-barred, slow motion-heavy action set piece. Metal clashes against metal, and characters slash through their opponents as if their bodies were made of butter. It’s gory, imaginative, horrifying, beautiful, visceral and utterly glorious. As a whole, Snowpiercer may not always reach such a level, but it certainly does its darndest.
In the past, Bong has demonstrated a heavy predilection towards working within various genres, whether it be the detective thriller (Memories of Murder, Mother) or the monster movie (The Host) only to infuse the narrative with a specificity and emotional core that subverts all the obvious plot points, resulting in a story that haunts you for days after.
Adapted from a French graphic novel by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette, Snowpiercer is a sci-fi thriller set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world. Nearly two decades prior, in an ill-advised attempt to halt global warning, the government inundated the atmosphere with an experimental chemical that left our planet a barren, ice-covered wasteland. Now, the last of humanity resides on “Snowpiercer,” a vast train powered via a perpetual-motion engine. Needless to say, this scenario hasn’t exactly brought out the best of humanity. Whereas the residents of the front portion of the train live in exuberant privilege, the inhabitants of the tail section wallow in abject poverty, nourished solely by disgusting food bars that are traded like currency.
As the film opens, Everett and his neighbors are looking to finally break away from the bitter subjugation and confront Wilford, the train’s inventor, leader and de facto God figure. With nearly the entirety of the tail population supporting him, including close friend Edgar (Jamie Bell) and mentor Gillam (John Hurt), Everett coordinates all the tail’s resources in an attempt to make their way toward the front of the train. Along the way, he recruits Namgoong Minsu (Bong regular Song Kang-ho), a master technician with the ability to open each compartment door, and Yona (Go Ah-sung), a young girl with clairvoyant tendencies.
Initially, the early scenes of the movie feel like a bit of a slog. There’s a lot of necessary world building at play, but, coupled with the setting’s close confines as well as frequent use of shaky, handheld camerawork, it makes for an experience that’s perhaps a bit too claustrophobic and uneasy.
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