Kim Byung-woo’s South Korean thriller The Terror, Live, hit theaters around the country this past weekend and it’s a film that grabs your attention right out of the gate.
Yoon Young-hwa (Jung-woo Ha) is a radio show host answering calls requesting listeners to offer their thoughts on a current political debate but when a strangers calls threatening to blow up a bridge in Seoul and then does it, that’s when things get dangerously interesting.
After recently being demoted from his job as a primetime news anchor, Young-hwa sees this as an opportunity to return to his former glory and strikes a deal with his old producer which allows him to report on the terrorists threats and interact with him via phone while reporting live. Eventually Young-hwa gets himself caught in a vicious triangle as he tries to help save the lives of the people stranded on the bridge, meet the terrorist’s demands to prevent more explosions and attempting to listen to his producer’s orders to h Kim’elp drive the ratings up and all from the “comfort” of his chair.
The Terror, Live is a film very similar in nature to Colin Farrell’s Phone Booth in that they are both one location thrillers. There has been a steady release of these types of thrillers recently but when you add interesting twists you’re able to captivate an audience for 90 minutes without them even realizing that this movie actually hasn’t really left this space, immediately differentiating itself from the others. That being said, this film starts off very strong, grabbing us by the neck and pulling us into this tense and high stakes situation. As the film progresses and the film introduces twists and turns, it’s tension and engaging power definitely decrease but it still results in solid, if eventually forgettable, entertainment. Kim Byung-woo uses some clever tricks to keep the intensity high and manages to end the film on a note that will leave you torn because you’re not exactly sure how you’d end it yourself but, to a foreign audience member like myself, it’s possible that none of the endings in our head would have been very satisfying to us anyway.
For a single location thriller the movie goes a bit deeper than most would expect. Rather than this just being a film about a guy blowing things up, this is a film about a guy blowing things up because of the lack of respect to the working class the government and the “upper” class pays them. Social status isn’t the only bit of social commentary as the film takes a direct blow at the Korean work environment, the harsh conditions and unfair hiring practices that many are exposed to in that country. The bloodthirsty way people act in order to get what they want is prevalent through Lee Kyoung-young’s turn as the producer who is willing to squeeze Yoon dry until he gets the ratings he needs.
I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Jung-woo Ha’s acclaimed films like The Yellow Sea or Chaser but I have seen him in Nameless Gangster and, after watching The Terror, Live it’s safe to say this guy is a real talent and can command your attention with ease no matter the material he is working with. When the film starts Yoon is a defeated character, going through the motions of his uneventful job but when he receives this threatening call he sees it as an opportunity to get back in the spotlight, returning his confidence and giving him something to work for. As the film progresses though, Yoon slowly gets backed into a corner, being forced against a wall and having to pick and choose sides that eventually determines his fate. Jung-woo’s energy and calculated mannerisms help him deliver a strong performance that emphasizes the emotional rollercoaster ride that Yoon is taken on.
The Terror, Live is a crisp and brisk thriller that hits most of the right notes for a single location thriller, capturing the audience’s attention and keeping them excited for a good majority of the film. Though it will likely be forgotten a month after its release, it’s still a pretty good and suspenseful piece of entertainment that’ll quench your thirst the first time you view it.
Rating: A solid and fast paced isolated thriller that lacks the staying power of films similar in style (6.8/10)
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