The Spy Gone North

The film is based on the true story of a South Korean spy who is sent to infiltrate the North’s nuclear facility. His code name is “Black Venus.” The movie focuses on relations between North and South Korea at the end of the Cold War era, after the USSR disintegrates. It may be noble to go undercover — for someone to erase their identity in service of a cause or country — but it rarely seems to end well, or produce meaningful results. At least not in the movies. Infiltrating an enemy faction is fraught with danger, and getting out alive can become a full-time job unto itself. Whatever idealism the hero starts with is slowly whittled down to raw survival, as even the most useful spies tend to become liabilities for the agencies that assigned them to their mission.

Director: Yoon Jong-bin

Snowpiercer

It’s been 18 years since we froze the earth. The few remaining humans live on the Snowpiercer, a train on an infinite loop around the globe. For those at the front, it’s a lavish paradise of drugs and sushi in the lap of luxury; for those trapped in the tail section, life is short and cruel. But change is in the air. Curtis (Chris Evans), desperate to escape the tail of the train, plans an uprising, aided by his mentor Gilliam (John Hurt). What begins as an isolated riot explodes into a mass revolution, an all-or-nothing push to the front of the train, and a war for humanity’s future.

Directors: Bong Joon-ho

Train to Busan

Sok-woo, a father with not much time for his daughter, Soo-ahn, are boarding the KTX, a fast train that shall bring them from Seoul to Busan. But during their journey, the apocalypse begins, and most of the earth’s population become flesh craving zombies. Between slick camera work, a relentless pace and overwhelming tension, “Train To Busan” is one of the best zombie films in quite some time. The claustrophobic setting of the train cars its predominantly shot in lend itself to a unique setting as the apocalypse grips Korea and a handful of survivors cling to what little hope remains.

Director: Yeon Sang-ho