Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer

Starring Chris Evans, Kang-ho Song, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton

Directed by Joon-ho Bong

Synopsis:
In 2014, the government conducted an experiment to eradicate global warming, but instead it sent the world into a new Ice Age.  All of humanity perished, except the few who were able to find their way to Snowpiercer - a train that perpetually criss-crossed the globe and sustained life within.

Within that train the social classes have evolved.  The front of the train includes the wealthy and privileged, and as the train headed toward the back, the lower classes lived, until the utterly destitute were found in the back.

Curtis (Chris Evans) is tired of living like scum, and plans a revolution with his friend Edgar (Jamie Bell) and his mentor Gilliam (John Hurt) to take over the train and advance to the front, where the mysterious Wilford (Ed Harris) - the man who invented the train - resided.

As they advance from traincar to traincar, Curtis and his friends come under brutal attacks, shocking confessions and deadly realizations, until Curtis finally understands the true nature of Snowpiercer, and his own humanity.

Review:
Part action blockbuster, part dramatic saga, part sci-fi fantasy, "Snowpiercer" tackles all these at once with brilliance.  It's a stark social commentary that anyone alive can understand.  The rich oppress the poor, and the poor desire to be the rich.  It also shows the power of the human spirit, and how far one would go for an ideology.

Leading the stellar cast is Chris "Captain America" Evans, who delivers one of his best performances to date as the extremely conflicted Curtis, the leader of the poor, although he doesn't want to be.  Throughout the film you see the angst he struggles with, which all comes to a head in his shocking confession, something that was totally unexpected but added to the shocking nature of the film.

Another great standout performance is from Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton, who plays Mason, Wilford's second in command.  She delivers her performance with an iron fist, brooding eccentricity and downright cruelty as dueling hands of the same body, making her character both lovable and extremely hated at the same time.  In an interview, Swinton stated that she made her character "a complete smash cut of all the monstrous, maniacal, political clowns," and she performed it brilliantly.

The production design was stunning as well, as in one train you go from the slums to the prisons to the horticultural center, the underwater aquarium (which was one of the most stunning), to something totally offbeat - a colorful schoolroom with young students who don't seem to have a clue as to what's happening.  From scene to scene, the production was impeccable.

Summary:
From heart-stopping start to soul-crushing finish, "Snowpiercer" gives an unflinching glimpse not into our future - but into our now.

My Rating: A