We’re all familiar with the Captain America Chris Evans, but in “Snowpiercer” he sheds his stars and stripes and trades them in for tattered clothes, a perpetual scowl and a beard that is as dark as his past.
When global warming threatens to kill off all living things, scientists invent a solution that backfires and freezes the entire planet, killing all living things. Awesome, right? But, fear not! A train-obsessed, morally bankrupt man named Wilford, played brilliantly by Ed Harris, saves the day by creating a train that will house what is left of humanity.
Sounds great, right? Not so much. Soon, class warfare begins on the train as the elite are given the equivalent of first-class treatment while the poor are given virtually nothing. Think Titanic, only subtract the boat and add a train. Multiple revolts fail as the people of the tail train car try to make their way to the front one to kill Wilford and take over the train.
Via: cloudfront.net
The film begins in the middle of a revolution plot where Curtis (Evans) plans to make it to the front of the train to pay Wilford a visit and give him what for. His fellow mastermind named Gilliam is played by the incomparable John Hurt, and he spends the majority of the film trying to prepare Curtis for his inevitable role as leader of the revolution.
As they make their way through each train car, the tail section rebels find out new and disturbing facts about life on the other side of the train. Discovering the harsh realities of the predicament he’s in pushes Curtis further and further toward his goal of reaching the front car and killing Wilford. But he becomes so hell-bent on getting to him that he ends up sacrificing all of his compatriots and most of his morality along the way.
A movie about a singular train and a group of people moving car to car seems a bit on the boring side, especially considering the film is over two hours long. However, this film is packed with venerable action and superbly placed humor and absurdism, provided mostly by Tilda Swinton’s Thatcher-esque performance, which makes you almost forget that it’s taking place on a train.
Via: btchflcks.com
The film’s ending drags a bit and is an obvious dig at the dangers of too much power being held in one man’s hands, but some aspects of it will surprise you. It ends on a hopeful note, with two of the film’s characters stepping off the train and out onto a mountain’s edge, staring at a polar bear.
“Snowpiercer” is a thrilling, albeit violent, train ride that will leave you thinking about the true nature of mankind and how desperate people can be when faced with certain death. It is a ride illustrated brilliantly by adventurous Korean director Bong Joon-ho that you never want to experience, but can’t help but find intriguing.
The film also stars Octavia Spencer, Luke Pasqualino, Go Ah-sung, Song Kang-ho, and Jamie Bell. It’s on limited theater release, but is available on demand.
Featured photo courtesy of: beyondhollywood.com
