
Joint Security Area
2000

Fear a meaningless life, not death itself.
After completing his required decade of military service and being honored as a hero, a North Korean sergeant makes a sudden shocking attempt to defect to the South, risking life and limb for the chance to finally determine his own destiny.

After completing his required decade of military service and being honored as a hero, a North Korean sergeant makes a sudden shocking attempt to defect to the South, risking life and limb for the chance to finally determine his own destiny.
Lee Je-hoonLim Kyu-nam
Koo Kyo-hwanLee Hyun-sang
Hong Xa-binKim Dong-hyuk
Seo Hyun-wooMajor Cha
Lee Sung-wookLieutenant Hong
Yoo Tae-jooCaptain Ryu
Jung Jun-wonSecond Lieutenant Park
Jang Young-namDong-hyuk's Mother
Song KangMin Sun-woo
EsomNomad Leader
Lee Ho-jungGirl with Rifle
Shin Hyun-jiSang-gu's Sister
Lee Ho-cheolDrunken General
Kim Sang-heunOfficer Jung
Park Yoon-heeDirector of the General Political Department
Woo Jeong-wonDirector's Wife
Cha Soon-baeDivision Commander
Song Yo-sepBattalion Commander
Jin Yong-ukCompany Commander
Jang Yo-hoonSquad 1
















Having seen the trailers for Escape I looked forward to this film but somehow, it didn't quite live up, to my expectations. On the upside there is a lot of decent action and characterisations. The two main protagonists, the soldier trying to defect to the South and the North Korean senior officer, pursing him, are well rendered and inherently interesting. That said, Escape fails to bring things together in a wholly satisfying way. It repeatedly builds and dissipates tension over the course of the film, making the experience feel uneven and at times, a little repetitive. On a different note there's also a dash of the by now usual woke nonsense, clumsily designed to highlight the "intolerance" of the North Korean regime towards people of differing sexual proclivities. I don't really care but the incessant politicking is tiresome. You could argue too, there's a counter argument for being "tolerant" of differing, non-westernized, societal norms but anyway...... In summary, a reasonable action thriller that could have been a lot more enjoyable again, with a tighter, more focused script.

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