Snowpiercer

Released in 2013, Chris Evans was becoming a house-hold name with thanks the Marvel franchise and so attention was drawn towards Snowpiercer. I say some because the Oscar winning Korean director of Parasite, Bong Joon Ho, clashed a few times with producer Harvey Weinstein which resulted in the film receiving somewhat of a limited release. It remained on my watchlist for time until just recently when I found the chance to see what this apocalyptic film would be about.

Hollywood has a tradition of taking young and creative art-house directors, who are usually European, and neglect their talents in favour of some forgettable mainstream flick. The differences here was Bong Joon Ho's established reputation in Korea that had reached western critics and Weinstein wasn't in the business of going for a quick buck, he wanted awards so the two teaming together seemed appropriate. On the surface, Snowpiercer sounds like a typical action flick where Earth has frozen over and what remains of humanity is found on a self-sufficient train that divided by class; poor stuffed at the back while the wealthy enjoy life at the front. The rugged Chris Evans is the man who's had enough after 17 years and leads a revolt to take control.

In the hands of someone like Roland Emmerich, this might have been a fun if forgettable ride but Bong Joon Ho brings a style that makes this different from the rest. Weinstein reportedly asked for certain scenes to be cut down or removed and while there was one odd scene involving a fish, the direction kept me engaged and makes Snowpiercer a refreshing, if very violent, experience to watch. This is supported by Evans who is great in the lead role, and the striking visuals that help bring the story to life.

This was the first film I've seen from this director and I really look forward to seeing the rest of his work. If you can get past the violence, Snowpiercer is a great film that kept its thrilling momentum going straight through until the very end and I'm glad that Weinstein wasn't able to sabotage this. A studio even tried to adapt this into a watered-down TV show where the protagonist is a cop solving cases and from what I hear it isn't worth your time to say the least; stick to the film and prepare for the ride.