NR | 1h 34m | Thriller | 2024
Since Sgt. Lim Kyu-nam is stationed along the Demilitarized Military Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, he can hear a better, freer life across the border, thanks to South Korean radio. He is keenly aware of the dangers of failed defection attempts, because he’s served in the resulting firing squads. Yet, since he has no living family to leave behind, Kim willingly takes the risk in Lee Jong-pil’s simply but aptly titled thriller, “Escape.”
Despite North Korea’s (DPRK) officially classless communist ideology, Sgt. Lim (Lee Je-hoon) is keenly aware of his lowly social status. Consequently, the soldier can only look forward to a life of manual labor when his 10-year enlistment soon ends. However, since his father died tragically early and his mother passed away during his term of service, he has little to fear from an unsuccessful escape attempt, aside from potential torture, imprisonment, and execution.
Even though Lim diligently prepares in secret, Kim Dong-hyuk (Hong Sa-bin) figures out his intentions. As a humble grunt with family who already defected to the South, Kim would find himself in an especially precarious position without Lim’s protection. Having little illusions left regarding the North Korean regime, Kim insists on joining Lim’s escape plan, rather than informing their superior officers.
Of course, it will not be that easy. Bad luck and bad weather nearly lead to disaster for Lim, but through an unlikely chain of events, he finds himself hailed as a national hero for foiling Kim’s attempted desertion. Awkwardly, the price of his deliverance is an extended term of service, assigned to his old classmate, Field Officer Li Hyun-sang (Koo Kyo-hwan), the manipulative state security officer, who “reinterpreted” events in Lim’s favor.
Instead of resigning himself to a life of servitude and abandoning Kim, Lim improvises a desperate new plan. Ironically, his new position under Li gives him an advantageous vantage point to exploit the North Korean military system. Quite cleverly, Kwon Sung-hui’s screenplay shows how Lim uses the inefficiency of military bureaucracy and the rigidity of the chain of command to his advantage. Clearly, initiative is not encouraged in the DPRK. Unfortunately, Li is an exception, thanks to his father-in-law, a high-ranking senior officer. Cunning by nature, he also enjoys hunting enemies of the state.
North Korean Military
In fact, nearly every character in “Escape” wears a North Korean uniform of some rank. Perhaps the most notable exceptions are Esom, portraying the gritty leader of a band of nomads hostile to the CCP-aligned communist regime, and Song Kang playing Min Sun-woo, a privileged North Korean civilian, who shares some potentially scandalous history with the seemingly righteous Field Officer Li.
In essence, “Escape” is a cat-and-mouse game pitting Lim against Li. Lee Je-hoon is suitably intense as Sgt. Kim. His wiry physique looks credible during the white-knuckle action scenes, but believably reflects a North Korean subsistence diet light on protein. He rather eloquently articulates Kim’s freedom-seeking motivation.
However, Koo Kyo-hwan overshadows everyone as the sinister Li. He is spectacularly devious and altogether contemptuous of his fellow countrymen. Yet, Lee Jong-pil and Kwon’s focused screenplay cleverly hint at how he became what he is, without inviting sympathy for the monster.
Notably, the film expresses its theme of freedom in a surprisingly mature and realistic manner. Several times when pressed, Lim admits he fully understands the free capitalist South is not a paradise. He fully expects to struggle and fail if he reaches his destination, but he argues it will finally be on his terms.
Lim’s objective is simple and straightforward: safely travel several miles south. Of course, getting there is quite a perilous journey. Most viewers will probably never have the opportunity to see the DMZ from the North, but Kim and company believably recreate the forbidden terrain.
There is a political dimension to Lim’s quest for liberty, but the film’s primary mission is to deliver a suspenseful ride, at which it succeeds. Highly recommended for fans of Korean thrillers and anyone interested in the dystopian DPRK.
