ESCAPE FROM MOGADISHU
Cert 15
In cinemas and on digital now
Korean culture has never been more popular. In 2021, Squid Game was Netflix’s biggest hit and K-Pop stars BTS were the world’s best-selling musical act.
Add Parasite’s Best Picture Oscar win in 2020 and it’s not surprising business types are talking about investing in the “K-wave”.
While this thriller may have missed out on this year’s Academy Awards, it confirms the East Asian nation can also turn out Hollywood-quality blockbusters.
With echoes of Ben Affleck’s Best Picture winner Argo, the gripping film tells the allegedly true story of a daring escape by North and South Korean diplomats from
war-torn Somalia. It’s 1991 and diplomats from both sides of the Korean border are in Mogadishu, trying to woo Somali despot Mohamed Siad Barre ahead of a vote to
determine whether South Korea can join the UN.
Then suddenly, the capital descends into anarchy as gangs of heavily armed rebels oust Barre from power.
After the North Korean embassy is overrun by rioters, veteran ambassador Rim (Huh Joon-ho) leads a small band of desperate diplomats and their families to the better-guarded South Korean embassy.
Their meeting with Rim’s bitter rival ambassador Han (Kim Yoon-seok) is played for laughs as they forge a very uneasy alliance.
But the film really comes alive in its final act. As trigger-happy gangs patrol the streets, the Koreans are forced to team up for a death-defying Mad Max-style escape using makeshift armoured cars.
The stunts are masterfully orchestrated and the script hits on a near-perfect blend of nail-biting suspense and heart-warming drama.