Steel Rain (Yang Woo-suk, 2017)

When forces inside the North Korean government attempt to assassinate Kim Jong-un during a visit to an industrial park on the border with the South, it falls to former Special Forces soldier Eom Chul-Woo (Jung Woo-Sung) to protect him. Escaping during the chaos, he manages to smuggle Kim into South Korea. While he tries to find medical aid, Eom has to contend with operatives from the North who are determined to finish the job.

Meanwhile, South Korean government official Kwak Chul-woo (Kwak Do-Won) is scrambling to figure out what is going on north of the border before his government (and the sabre-rattling United States) takes drastic action.

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This movie is like a missing airport thriller from the 90s. The central concept has the flavour of a classic thriller along the lines of Day of the Jackal or The Hunt For Red October, specifically in its blend of real-life figures with a fictional scenario.

Overall I really enjoyed the movie's earnestness. While there are moments of humour, the filmmakers are not winking at the audience or trying to undermine the central conceit. They know it is OTT, but they play it completely straight.

The action is well-choreographed, and shot clean. There are wide shots, but they are broken up with more editing to ensure that the effect is frenetic without feeling like a showcase for the opponents' fighting styles. In a way it reminded me of the brutal functionality Martin Campbell brought to his Bond movies (the sound of the AKs firing felt very GoldenEye as well).

As the movie progresses, the filmmakers have a great handle on the suspense, cutting seamlessly from our heroes to anxious politicians at the Blue House, conspirators in the North, and the US forces marshalling at sea.

I really appreciated the perspective the movie had on Korean geopolitics, particularly in the way the US  military come across as an ever-present threat to the peninsula. 

 

The additional context of having this stand-off take place during the transition period between two presidential administrations provides another layer of suspense and potential danger, as the  president and his successor debate the way forward, and try to find leverage over the other. 

The movie is genuinely tense, and it pays off.

The performances are really good, and help to create that sense of earnestness I brought up earlier. Jung Woo-Sung is great as the battered soldier struggling to hold it together, while Kwak Do-Won brings a sense of weariness and humour to the veteran bureaucrat. Used to the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring of his job, there is a deceptive ease about Kwak Do-Won's performance, and an understated pragmatism that makes him a match for his Northern ally.

They are a great odd couple, and I was impressed with the way in which the script and their performances avoiding leaning too heavily on the familiar tropes of such relationships (particularly in action movies).

Steel Rain is melodrama done well, and one of the best action movies I have seen this year.   

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