Snowpiercer takes the concept of a model train to its craziest extreme. This bonkers dystopic future film by director Joon-ho Bong relentlessly hurtles forward despite its bleak outlook and existence. Though the movie’s endgame has been played out before the journey is fantastically weird and original, plus I learned how you can have sushi on a train you cannot exit from.
Humanity tried to pump coolants into the atmosphere after global warming increased the planet’s temperature. As a result, the coolant overcooled the planet, killing everyone on Earth except for a few lucky ones on a sustainable global bullet train run by someone named Wilford. However, the train is strictly structured by class. Curtis (Chris Evans), a poor member of the train’s tail, hates his status and wants to lead a revolt to take the train back from Wilford and his loyal lackey Mason (Tilda Swinton). Supported by Edgar (Jamie Bell), Gilliam (John Hurt), Minsoo (Kang-ho Song), Tanya (Octavia Spencer), and Yona (Ah-sung Ko), Curtis reluctantly leads his loyal followers toward the front of the train. However, each new car gives a new set of problems/threats for the group to overcome.
Snowpiercer walks the line between serious and self-aware very well. Chris Evans gives Curtis a very anchored determination to get to the front of the train to the point that he overlooks all the nonsense around him. Curtis unveils the vile nature of his food, druggie door openers, clairvoyance, child education, opulent clothing, and fake teeth usually with a quick look and just as quickly moving forward, keep the story from spiraling into crazy town. The dialogue contains its share of hilarious lines, but they work because of how well they fit into Snowpiercer’s story at the time. When a character is f*cked, another one happily points it out. This balance falls out of line as the third act reaches full steam, but by then the fun of the first 2/3s has won you over enough to overlook some of the minor weaknesses.
The train itself is a nice modern wrinkle, throwing a little bit of the current trend of encapsulating characters in a confined space to see how they react. Unlocking a door is like unlocking another secret and another character wrinkle for some of the Tail members. The fight scenes are in a confined space, and it is easy when going through a tunnel to creates a lightless horror car. Ice buildups on the tracks result in potential derailings (humorously brought up during a fight). And in the best engagement, giant turns in the track can use the talents of a sniper. Snowpiercer uses its setting better than most other films out there, and makes the train itself feel like a character at times.
Chris Evans, like his Captain America, needs to sell the audience on his drive toward the engine. Evans channels that character into Curtis, with more of a haunted past. His big scene where he reveals what he actually did is simultaneously heartbreaking and darkly funny, but it only works because of Evans devotion to the script. Evans’s rebels Octavia Spencer, John, Hurt, and Jamie Bell also add gravitas searching for her lost son or fighting for a lost cause. Surrounding those 2 are a host of weirdos. Ah-sung Ko and Kang-ho Song give meaning to the term method to their madness: anything they say is done in a funny way as they get many laughs. Allison Pill gets the biggest laughs as the most terrifying teacher left on the planet. But eclipsing everyone is Tilda Swinton, giving new meaning to the term controlled chaos. Her bureaucrat is equal parts smarmy and fragile, giving the character a false sense of security played for punch lines.
An environmental cautionary tale, Snowpiercer wins the audience over with out-of-left-field and down-the-middle storytelling wrapped together in a bullet train package. It’s not landmark cinema, but it is always compelling. Plus, the final shot makes sure we know who has the last laugh in this world scenario.