"Everything is connected". A perfect example of Butterfly Effect. Our life choices are our own fate.
Train was an astounding drama. Every episode is like a literal roller coaster that builds up momentum until the end of each episode, at the end of each ride (episode), you will be wanting more! The acting, the cinematography, engrossing story, amazing soundtracks that added depth to every scenes and the big to tiny pieces of details that are connected and made a lot of sense.The story is consistent and logical. Every scenes are well connected to each other; to main plot and to what the show is trying to convey. There are no filler episodes; the plot is tightly packed. It may seem the story is focused on serial killer but it's actually not. The show dealt crime and investigation but in its core, it tackles how our life choices affect us and the others around us without even knowing, and how our choices become our fate that mold our life to who and what we are in the present. That one's choice will not only affect you, but also of countless of other people around you. The two worlds perfectly demonstrated this effect. The "what ifs" of World A were perfectly mirrored and manifested to World B. The characters of both worlds are basically the same but were differently molded by life experiences because of one's choice.
The parallel world execution is one of the best I've seen. Switching between worlds are crystal clear and so clean. You can easily distinguish each worlds by their transitions and color tones. The actors also did really well differentiating their characters from both worlds.
One thing that I wish they were able to do was to explore more of supporting characters backstories especially Do Won B. I was fascinated by the character that I keep wanting to see him more. Sadly, this was only a 12 episode drama that is already tight as it could be and there was no room for more backstories that could potentially slow down an already great pace of the drama.
The acting was very commendable. Everyone did excelllent job portraying their parts. I was completely pulled in especially during emotional scenes. I never ever cried in a heavy thriller drama but Yoon Si-Yoon made me teared up numerous times. His emotions will just draw you in. Portraying parallel characters in this drama is extra difficult because the characters are the same but with different life experiences. So the actors need to simultaneously show similarities and differences which they pulled off really well.
The full soundtrack was amazing. The high bass mid tempo sounds, the revealing deep violin sounds that incorporated in suspenseful events, the combinations of different instruments that are exhilarating, the use of actual voice to create haunted whistlings. Also, the songs "With You" for emotional scenes and flashbacks and superhero-themed like "I Will Never" song that was played at the end of each episode are the best! All of these plus the acting, the gripping story, the cinematography have come all together to create a wonderful drama!
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This review may contain spoilers
What could be cooler than the idea of a murderer killing people in one world and dumping their bodies in the other?! This crime thriller with two parallel worlds looked like something I’d absolutely enjoy, and It did satisfy my thrill trash self a good deal! Train is a super intriguing, intense, carefully crafted, and well-executed drama. It successfully avoids straying into side stories and gives all of its writing power to the main mystery aka finding the real serial killer, hence focused and very consistent in its storytelling. All characters and murder cases are connected, with every new ep, writers throw a new thread to catch on, every detail is purposed & noteworthy, nothing sounds irrelevant, nothing to waste screentime on. I’m sure such a thing would be even more rewarding to binge-watchers.
Also in terms of production quality, Train didn’t fail expectations!! That chilling dark vibe OCN always sends is clearly there. Cinematography is neat and somehow depressing, with a warm yellow tone for world A and a blue cold one for world B (each similar to their perspective characters!). Editors really did a brilliant job seamlessly switching from world A to B to the past to flashbacks. Music was also on point. Lyrics “I’m gonna find you”, playing at the end of each episode, make you look forward to the coming one, and another soft melody singing “I want to stay with you” makes emotional scenes a bit more felt.
On the other hand, Train is quite predictable, which is not necessarily a bad thing as I was still eager to watch and see if my theory was right or wrong, and everything was built up well with no apparent holes. But I found it cheap that certain characters had suspicion written all over their faces!! I have to admit, it made the resolution a bit underwhelming. I wished if writers would bring another twist but everything was foreseen at the end.
Another thing that bothered me was how I failed to connect with characters and their emotional scars. Although it could be only me, I think they could have chosen a better cast tbh. Most of the time, It felt like YSY was carrying the whole show on his shoulders. He totally lived his character and showed diverse emotions either playing the workaholic detective who lives to care&protect or the discontented inspector who lives with hate&shame. I rooted for him but it felt hella frustrating that no one was responding!
The FL was rather weak (in terms of performance); she had that one angry/sad expression on her face that I was absolutely numb towards. I’m not trying to undermine the actress’s effort, but in my eyes, they had little to no chemistry and it always felt one-sided. That shouldn’t be much of a problem for a thriller really but It’d have been much better if the story was more seasoned and I could feel the desperation to save someone or catch someone, yet clearly the mystery element was my only driver. That’s in part a problem with writing too; ‘cause most characters lacked personality and development, the main culprit’s character is so cliche, and many were merely running the story, I could see no problem if one of them was replaced :( If there’s anyone I loved, it’d be Jung min (the forensic doctor)& Jinwoo (junior detective).
Regardless, Train was an experience I enjoyed and anticipated every week. I recommend it and I’m pretty sure many will like it :)
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An okay crime investigation drama but had the potential to be better
I'll be honest, I only watched this based on the comments. It is good, maybe just for a one time watch. I wouldn't call it amazing though but that's just my preference. I like the idea of every choice matter. It shows the effects of the choices from one world to the other world. A lot of "What ifs" situations which to me helps the ML understand why he did what he did even though he may have lost his love in his world, to understand if everything he did was worth it and this parallel world showed him that.It's a slow start for the first 2 episodes but it does get more interesting once this started to reveal the parallel world. If I have to say the highlight of this drama, it would be Shi Yoon's acting. He does a great job portraying a heartbroken police detective in his world and an attitude anger driven guy in the parallel world. The only issue with this is that we didn't get to see much of his parallel self which is unfortunate. It would've been nice to see both of them working together to the end but that didn't happen.
When I read the synopsis, I thought it was going to be Do Won traveling between his world and the parallel world to solve these mysterious murder cases. That's not the case. After showing him in his world for the first few episodes, the rest of the drama was in the parallel world. That was disappointing to me. I would've love to see the interactions of both world's police investigators, working together to solve this, with Do Won jumping between worlds and sharing info or having 1 or 2 of his investigators join in going to the other world, but instead we just had the ML figuring out everything while everyone else (including the FL) was clueless and not as useful as they could've been. Let me also say about the FL. I think she was good character in the original world but then she got killed off and became just a bothersome FL in the parallel world. She was tough but a very aggravating character. I just didn't feel no sympathy for her parallel character compared to her character in the other world.
Is it thrilling? Yes. Every moment I anticipate and want to know what happens next. A lot of scenes are pretty creepy, especially with the creepy background music.
Though there's talk about love between the leads, majority of the drama is not focus on romance so don't expect any sweet or cute moments.
Did I enjoy this drama? Yes, however there are plot holes in this drama that doesn't get answer. The bad guys always gain the upper hand and it seems like the good guys are always a step behind which sucks. I liked how this drama ended (not your typical happy ending) but I feel like there should've been more and yes it did felt rushed as well. Problems to the very end but the way they concluded it was okay for me. Definitely wouldn't rewatch it though. This is a one time deal for me.
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plot = 9writing/development = 5
directing = 10
mystery/killer = 1
the theme of this drama was great, the the 2 (or more) parallel worlds and the butterfly effects that ensue from the smallest of interactions, each choice and the aftermath and the way the worlds were different were really clever.
the acting from the 2 mains was amazing, I'm not a big fan of Yoon Shi Yoon's previous projects but I could see the great improvement and he finally broke away from his type castings.
I've been a fan of Kyung Soo Jin for a while and I'm glad she finally got a main main for well made drama.
the "killer vibes" were way too obvious and their "revelation" was too shallow and uninteresting.
at some points I thought this drama should've been longer, the "romance" and chemistry between brown DW and blue SK made 0 sense, well maybe it made 1% sense in the form that "I'll love and protect every you ever existed" and in some ways the miserable life blue SK lived through made brown DW have a bigger sense of "prince complex, ie I need to save you"
I wish he didn't have romantic feelings for brown SK, or I wish they gave us more eps so brown DW and Blue SK actually bonded beyond "I loved you in another world"
and in some ways with the last ep, that was blue SK finding brown DW, so like why didn't he look/find the "white" SK? what made blue SK special? since white DW was a "higher up -can't think of a title ;p" would white SK also be "happy" and well established and independent for brown DW to feel useless around?
so in some ways both brown DW and blue SK were the most miserable forms of themselves and they found "comfort" in each other but what about brown SK? was she nothing? so basically the whole doppelganger love was a fail.
now for the killer vibes it took too long for them to be literally the 1st person one suspects but that ending ep where the mom went through 4 worlds and had to suffer through loosing her son, plus killing her own counterparts was actually really clever I wish they focused more on that.
basically this is one of those "got a 12ep deal because they didn't know how to plan out their plot"..
the directing was beautiful, clever and really well done. and the ost was nice but I feel like they only had 1 song that was overused, and I never rewatch stuff ;D
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Story has potential but some characters badly written.
this review is not exhaustive by any means but i hope that it helps.Let's start with the good parts about this drama:
- The twists: While it's true that I foresaw who the real culprit was a few episodes in, still, I had to admit that the twists were somewhat reasonable and believable. It's not that it will take you long to find out who the "culprit" was, it's just amazing in a sense that it's not who you would usually picture the culprit to be.
- Melodrama: Though it was kind of draggy at times, I really enjoyed the melodrama and romantic aspect of the drama, in no small part due to Yoon Shi Yoon's acting (he just gets the right expressions during these times, it's a treat watching him on the screen). I think he and Kyung Soo Jin (who, for those who don't know, played Song Si-Ho on "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo") have real chemistry. It was fun watching their flashbacks on-screen.
- Cinematography: I can tell apart the two worlds and its characters within. The styling for the characters' costumes was spot on as well.
Now, having said that, we move on to the parts where the drama could have improved:
- /some/ badly written characters: Though the acting was good, I really thought that emotionally invested detectives/prosecutors are a bit of a caricature these days. For those of us who have been watching kdramas for some time now, we can all agree that we've seen that emotionally-driven detective or prosecutor at least once in kdramas. They're smart to an extent, but driven by their emotions to a fault (like when Do Won pushed Seok Min Jun against the wall, or when Seo Kyung pushed Do Won against the wall).
I hated how Do Won was written like a Mary Sue, who was upright, handsome, and all things nice. Oh and he's also short-tempered, but that flaw is just really annoying more than humanizing. I would have loved to see him become a little bit more relatable, because his character's become a Mary Sue caricature basically. Always doing what's /good/ without having real flaws.
Plus, what was with Han Seo Kyung's character anyway? Originally a no-nonsense, here-to-get-the-job-done persona-- and does not get repelled by Do Won A's advances (hugging her out of nowhere, touching her face with her gun to his chest, etc.)?! I smell inept male writers who can't write shit about women characters.
And what was that about Do Won's illness/ringing in his ears? I really don't see how that has any significance to the plot.
I think the drama could have benefited from stronger character writing (for example, the writers could test the characters' goals and compare it against their behavior: is it justified or is it far-fetched already? Personally, I just can't reconcile how being a psychiatrist justifies serial killings because of a personal trauma--It might have been the acting, but I'm really not buying how Min Jun's character was written, and so are Mi Sook's motivations for doing what she did. It felt so flat and one-sided because we couldn't even see her detective side being conflicted about her actions.)
The drama could have delved into the motivations of the characters as much as they did the backstories so we can really empathize with the villains and find them relatable. For example, for someone who pursued medicine as a psychiatrist, you would have thought that Seok Min Jun's character understood the importance of mental health and received professional help as well, so I don't really understand how he can become a serial killer as a psychiatrist. I don't mean to say it's impossible, just that I couldn't rationalize it given the way his character was written. You could literally make him into any other profession and it still would not change how grisly those murders can be. I think the writers just made him Seo Kyung's therapist so there'd be some surprise factor for the viewers. To realize that someone supposedly gentle was behind the murders all along. But I think even if you cast him as Seo Kyung's friendly neighbor--for example, that surprise factor would still be there). And for someone who mercilessly killed someone at 17, how do you even rationalize being a therapist?! How?! Exactly my point. The drama failed to show us that.
Lastly, yeah the last victim in the story was supposed to be Oh Mi Seok (the surprise factor is she is the serial killer's mom). So all the characters are frantic and in a hurry to rescue her before it's "too late", conveniently forgetting that Oh's a police officer herself and is adept at self-defense. But we're conveniently forgetting that part of her character because she's what? A woman? This is the same case for the way Do Won treats Seo Kyung (but in all fairness, Seo Kyung as a police officer still can't defend herself for shit -- like when she was attacked by her stepbrother in that abandoned public market scene)
- unnecessary characters: I would say the two assistant detectives in the story were pretty useless. If I had a dollar for the number of times they asked Do Won where he was going and Do Won consequently ignoring them and being cryptic, I could buy a house! Plus I don't remember anything significant being contributed by these two. I wish they were written to serve a bigger purpose other than to be fill-ins.
- underutilized character: Personally would have loved to see the two Do Wons cooperating because they had the same goals anyway, just that Do Won B was a hopeless junkie. But the writers pit the two of them against one another, which was annoying, to put it lightly.
- lack of attention to detail: wherein sometimes they don't use gloves whenever they're investigating, which might contaminate evidence (like when they used the card to swipe on Lee Sung Wook's belongings and Do Won storming into Oh Mi Sook's place to find /that/ photo).
Plus, the fashion styles (also personalities) of the two Do Wons being polar opposites (Do Won A: smart and casual; Do Won B: more upscale and pedigreed), you would have thought the characters from world B could have more easily picked up that there was something different about the two Do Wons. Alas, they didn't.
- some bad acting: I don't get why Kyung Soo Jin always had that worried, furrowed eyebrow look on her face for every scene. Jesus. It's so cringey watching her scene after scene you start pitying her. She was so one-dimensional I had to fast forward her sometimes. Shin So Yool was a better actress.
- unecessary monologues/lines: Lee Hang Na's Oh Mi Sook mostly (NV: "we have to find the body", "no matter what happens, I'll protect you"). There are probably still some more within the drama but I can't remember them all.
Overall, I think the show gets its message across: reason to never cross over into another world is because your actions can have consequences, even the smallest ones such as handing over an umbrella. Did I think it was good? Certainly a good 12 hours to spend. But do I wanna watch it again? I usually don't, so it's no surprise I think this only makes for a one-time watch. I think I can only really strongly recommend this to hardcore Yoon Shi Yoon fans because seeing him act is the only reason I started watching (and stayed watching) this drama.
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THIS DRAMA WILL SURELY NOT DISAPPOINT YOU!
I really don't understand why this drama is so underrated like seriously .I want to really appreciate the screen writer and director for their work .If you are a crime and mystery genre one this is it .honestly speaking after watching first episode i wasn't that into this drama but as the story goes on you'll be hooked to the drama.You'll be confused at the start like what's going on but once you start watching you'll understand how everything is connected.There are many drama writers who get messed up sometimes but that's not the case with this you'll get answer to all your questions. The whole drama focused mainly on the story it never felt that the were off the track.This story starts when a skeleton is found on a railway station which was closed since long time.But the confusion gets more tangled because the dead body of the person they found was alive in this world how? TRAIN.A train which connect two parallel worlds. The detective was on medicine so no one couldn't even trust him like how can train join to parallel worlds.But when he traveled through it and saw the person who died in his world and was alive.But their was difference in both worlds, it all started when Do Won made different choices on that rainy day when Seo Kyung dad was killed.This story revolves how Do Won finds the killer and also how he protects whom he couldn't protect earlier.Why would a killer kill people from a world and dump in another and also not know about it?
1. The story line is actually amazing
2.The writers kept everyone in confusion the whole time but they didn't got messed till the end.
3. sometimes Do Won aka Yoon Shi Yoon spoiled the scene with his acting but that wasn't that noticeable
4. Seo kyung aka Kyung Soo jin i really can't believe she did to fell like i really didn't from her much but yaa she was really good.
5. Miss.Oh's acting is also appreciable she played her role really well(Lee Hnag Na)
6.cliffhangers in this drama are real torture like seriously just binge watch.
starting will be confusing but once you start understanding both the worlds you'll also how they are connected.The cast isn't that famous or something like that but story is phenomenal. really wish you guys to watch it. i wrote this review because many people don't know about this drama yet so i want you to give it a shot:)
~END~
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I'm sad, this amazing drama is getting very low ratings. I don't know, because of what.
- Isn't drama interesting?
- Is it confusing?
-Walking slowly?
- Boring?
- Or is it strange?
For me, the most important thing about watching a drama is that I can understand the story and the drama ends with clarity (case over).
Honestly, I don't like the sci-fi genre, and I really don't have references to thriller dramas. It's just ... because ... one reason that makes me watch this drama. Before the drama aired, I had intended to stop watching if I felt very clueless or dizzy at the storyline, but what I got, this drama actually exceeded my expectations.
Since I read the synopsis for the first time, I've been interested in watching it and excited. It's such a nice experience.
- Mystery of the parallel world
-Serial killer. Suspect: mother and child.
- Throwing corpses into another world.
- Ghost train, No, Time and accompanied by rain.
Everything is conceptualized and neatly arranged.
1. Credit points for the PD and the team who work very hard and are very maximal in making the same things (people, places, etc.) so as not to get confused. (That's the most important)
2. Remember, PD and writer are rookies.
3. I'm glad the writer is able to keep the drama storyline “Train” on track, many branches, but in the end the passengers (the audience) arrive at their desired destination.
Yes, this drama is not like a thriller drama in general. This drama is unique.
From the past, always hoped that YSY would play a serious role in modern drama, and he ended up doing it. This is a rare moment. This drama is his fifth drama with a dual role, and again, he made his fans proud. I wouldn't be angry if someone didn't like his acting in this drama. Maybe you guys are used to seeing him with funny roles in comedy genre drama, but again, this umpteenth dual role proves his talent.
More and less about this drama, I hope we feel the same.
Please, give it a chance.
It won't disappoint.
This drama is worth watching.
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Excellent -- Genius
Best time travel drama to date as far as I am concerned. I loved how the director transitioned between the two worlds, pristinely done. And even though all the characters had the same names and, in some cases, the same jobs with slightly different life choices, it didn't once get confusing. I enjoyed Yoon Shi Yoon in both worlds but more so as he crossed to the 2nd world, becoming calmer, centered, focused, and more thorough. On the other hand, I pitied drug addict Do Won for his choices; I am sure it wasn't easy living with the stigma of being labeled a son of a murderer. I found myself wondering how long he had been one and what drove him to it, as it didn't seem like he’s always led that kind of life. And liked how the drama seamlessly reveals the little aspects of how the two worlds formed. My guess is the killer may be a woman, but time will tell. I didn't want the episode to end, and I don’t want to wait a week for the next one, but as they say, beggars cannot be choosers.Train as a drama excited me to no end. I couldn't stop thinking; now, this is how one does a parallel world drama. As they say, genius is making complex ideas look simple, and that’s precisely what the writer, director, and cast of Train gave us. I loved how cleverly transparent the show was in its build-up and delivery. I've enjoyed Yoon Shi Yoon as an actor in all of his roles, but I am beyond impressed at the ease by which he portrayed the dual roles of Do Won -- two similar yet somewhat wholly different and complex characters. Indeed great casting, as I doubt any other actor would’ve fit as perfectly to the role as he did. I am in awe of him. I think what I love most about this drama is how the writer seamlessly created two worlds, which at the core had the same people yet who acted so radically different separated mainly by the choices they made. Highly recommend this short but delightful to watch drama!
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Very good acting and visuals, interesting story
The story is very interesting, but in my opinion it could've been developed in a better way. The writing isn't very good. At the beginning of every episodes we have to watch, sometimes even for 10min, the ending of the previous episode with additional details. In my opinion, it feels like wasted time and I got easily bored because of this.Also, they added a twist (new important information) at the last episode which could've been added in previous episodes and been developed more.
Also the OST are not very memorable, nothing special there. And I personally hated very much the OST which is played every time we see the killer...
At the end, I only kept watching because of the excellent acting of the main characters, hoping it would get better later...
So, should you watch it? If you like the actors, please watch it, but don't expect too much from the story.
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Rewarding viewing experience, more thoughtful("slow") than OCN's fast paced thrillers
Train was, for me, a rewarding viewing experience. The pace feels more slow than the usual OCN rapid guns firing all around kind of plot (I saw some comments from people who were dropping it early because they took more time than usual setting it up), the script very methodically handled (to me that is good because stories like this are very easy to screw up majorly), but all the actors handled their many 'stages'-Yoon Shi Yoon nothing short of fantastic as usual-incredibly well, the nuances between them making it really clear where they were and what they were thinking/how they were processing information. The last episode's twists are not shouted but murmured at the audience, making it (to me) more convincing and making it sit with me longer than loud OMGOMGOMG shock value ones where everyone in the story is running around in a tizzy. The very end was, as you can hope no matter the story, just beautiful. A tiny bit of humor in an unexpected chase mixed in with the sentiment needed to close the story with both resolve and further curiosity. It left me totally satisfied-emotionally, mentally, stress-level-wise, etc. It closed the story out very well for me.OCN doesn't use a ton of music, especially not compared to their sister network tvN, but I really LOVE the main song in this drama and never tired of it-it is Joe Won Sun's "I Will Never." The key lyrics that will stay in my head for months go something like this:
I’m gonna find you
Neol nohchiji anheulke
I’m still fighting for you.
I’m gonna find you
Nan meomchuji anheulke
I will never give up on you.
8.5/10 is my rating. I'd probably give it, on a hundred point scale, an 88, but it's not quite "9-enough" to put it in my near-perfect-experience list, mostly because it's both quick in not being very long and slow in some of the story pacing being more like a 16-ep show. Part of me, having been "makjanged" more lately than I'm used to, sometimes wanted even more story though it doesn't actually need it and may have become cluttered with too much else added. I am glad, though, they didn't throw us any of the usual rich sleazy execs and politicians being corrupt and horrible. Those are a dime a dozen and tend to detract from the main story unless it IS the main story. Still, another solid OCN production with perfect acting performances by nearly all if not everyone, great, convincing sets/visual images of the town, beautiful camera work and editing (which are near-guarantees with OCN), and a set up that created enough struggle without being impossible to navigate, intrigue and just enough complexity without being convoluted... and YSY's eyes along with Lee Hang Na's expressions (the police chief) were really key in bringing a rich story out.
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The World Is Not Enough...Literally
Fans or even dabblers of OCN, you would know what to expect by now. For the uninitiated, just watch this drama and you'll get what we mean. Unlike regular terrestrial channels (SBS, KBS, MBC and the like), cable networks like OCN have more freedom to explore darker themes for more mature audiences (or basically anyone who's into this stuff).I finished Train in a matter of days, as soon as it was nearing the end so I could binge watch without interruptions. Reading the comments section gave me the impression that this is a not-to-be missed event and true enough, I wasn't disappointed.
Certain elements of this show reminded me of 24 (the US drama), Tunnel (2017, with Choi Jin Hyuk) and, of course TKEM (I didn't actually watch this after hearing how bad it was, but the storyline is based on parallel worlds as well. so that seems to be the trend in this year's recurring sci-fi theme). Every episode was intriguing and suspenseful, leaving you with a cliffhanger and craving for more. If I could break it down into comprehensible parts...
Story - Excellent plot and infused with twists (not all unexpected but fit into the grander scheme of things). Not sure if this came off a novel or short story somewhere but there can be no complaints in this area. Kudos to the screenwriters for bringing to life a fascinating and somewhat original concept.
Acting/ Casting - Yoon Shi Yoon was outstanding here. Admittedly I haven't seen his previous works but having debuted a decade ago and playing the lead in well-regarded dramas like The Nokdu Flower and Psychopath Diaries, surely he could be regarded as an experienced hand. Playing dual roles in any production cannot be easy so he showed his range here. The rest of the cast were generally decent, although I expected more from the usually exceptional Kyung Soo Jin (it's more personal expectation than her fault). I also think we need to give props to Lee Hang Na here - the role truly fits her like a glove.
Overall:
What it is - Intriguing murder mystery, comprehensible parallel worlds concept (it wasn't confusing at least to me), suspense-filled thriller, great cinematography, compelling storytelling, acceptable ending (it brought the necessary closure, although could have been better).
What it isn't - Confusing sci-fi concepts, low budget production, romantic love story (it is not the key element of this production).
I really enjoyed this, Train is one of the better productions from OCN.
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