Snowpiercer (2013)

Original title

설국열차

Directed by

Bong Joon-ho

Genre

drama film, action film, science fiction film, thriller film, post-apocalyptic film, dystopian film

Country

South Korea, Czech Republic, France, United States

Runtime

2h 06m

Rated

R

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 10,496 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

The last survivors of a frozen Earth live on a luxury train that circles the globe. A rebellion by the poor in the tail cars fights its way through the train to confront the wealthy in the front cars.

tensebleakclaustrophobicrelentlessvisceraldesperategrimaction-packed

What happens

Snowpiercer (Korean: 설국열차; Hanja: 雪國列車; RR: Seolgungnyeolcha) is a 2013 post-apocalyptic action thriller film based on the French climate fiction graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. The film was directed by Bong Joon Ho and written by Bong and Kelly Masterson. An international co-production, the film marks Bong's English-language debut; almost 85% of the film's dialogue is in English. The film stars Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Go Ah-sung, John Hurt, and Ed Harris, with Park Chan-wook and Lee Tae-hun among the film's producers. It takes place aboard the Snowpiercer train as it travels a globe-encircling track, carrying the last remnants of humanity after a failed attempt at climate engineering to stop global warming has created a new Snowball Earth. Evans stars as Curtis Everett, leader of the lower-class tail-section passengers, as they rebel against the elite of the front of the train. Filming took place at Barrandov Studios in Prague, using train car sets mounted on gimbals to simulate the train's motion. Snowpiercer received critical acclaim and appeared on many film critics' top ten lists of 2014 after its international release, with praise for its vision, direction, and performances, particularly by Evans and Swinton. In the United States, the film was initially planned for a limited-screen showing, but the critical response prompted The Weinstein Company to expand the showing to more theaters and to digital streaming services. With a budget of $40 million, it remains one of the most expensive South Korean productions ever. The fourth volume of the original Snowpiercer graphic novel series, Snowpiercer: Terminus, published in 2019, serves as a sequel to the film, establishing it as being set in the same continuity as the original graphic novels. The film was also the basis for a television series set in a different continuity that aired from 2020 to 2024, with Bong, Park and Lee serving as executive producers. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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