Digital Review: ESCAPE

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Jan 14 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Sgt. Lim Kyu-nam (Lee Je-hoon, Phantom Detective, The Front Line Bleak Night) has nearly finished serving his mandatory 10 years in the North Korean Civilian Police Unit in the Demilitarized Zone, and is counting down the days until his discharge. He comes from a “bottom dwelling third-rate family”, and is ultimately destined for the farms or coal mines. Kyu-nam knows that his future is bleak if he stays in the North, and has been planning his defection to the South for a long time. Each night, he sneaks out of the barracks, and slowly makes progress mapping the mine field that leads to the border. However, he is forced to push up the timetable for his escape when he learns from his friend, foot soldier Kim Dong-hyuk (Hong Xa-Bin, Hopeless, So Long, See You Tomorrow), that it will rain in 2 days—the rain will wash away the mines and he’ll have to start the process all over again.

Throwing another wrench into the plans is that Dong-hyuk has learned of Kyu-nam’s plans and insists on joining him in the escape. Things do not go as planned, and Kyu-nam’s former childhood friend, State Security Field Officer Li Hyun-sang (Koo Kyo-Hwan, Peninsula, Escape from Mogadishu), is called in to handle the situation. However, Kyu-nam is surprised to discover that his former “Bro” wants to treat him like a hero rather than turn him in. Long ago, Hyun-sang gave up on his own dreams, choosing a life as son-in-law to the Division Commander. Now he wants Kyu-nam to follow in his footsteps, abandoning his own dreams for the good of the State and Supreme Leader. However, Kyu-nam refuses, and on the run as he desperately tries to make his escape across the border, with Hyun-sang and his army in pursuit.

Escape is an entertaining film with a tone that ranges from action-packed thriller, to intense drama, to comedy. When we first meet Lim Kyu-nam, he is already deep into his plan of escape, slowly but surely making progress mapping the mine field. Through a flashback, we discover that he lost his family, and was forced to give up on his dreams of being an adventurer. He doesn’t want this heavily-controlled, predetermined life in the North, and is desperate to escape to the South. His friend, Dong-hyuk, is also eager to go back to the South, so that he can see his mother again. However, he is not as wise and cunning as Kyu-nam, and lets his eagerness take over, getting the two of them in trouble.

Enter childhood “friend” Li Hyun-sang. Here’s this cocky solider who has rule of the roost, probably because his father-in-law is the Division Commander. While he acts like he and Kyu-nam are long-lost friends, and says that he wants to help his “Bro”, it’s clear there’s more going on here, and a complicated history between these two. They come from different backgrounds, and Kyu-nam wasn’t as privileged. Hyun-sang puts on a strong, confident outward appearance, but there is a vulnerable sadness inside that he is covering up. Long ago, Hyun-sang had to give up his own personal hopes and dreams for this life as a soldier. But unlike his childhood friend, he seems unwilling to do anything about it, and he resents Kyu-nam for his rebellious nature. Why should Kyu-nam get to live out his dreams?! He should be unhappy and miserable inside like he is! And so, when Kyu-nam doesn’t accept his fate and tries to escape, he makes it his mission to hunt him down and stop him.

This pursuit can be quite tense and thrilling at times, putting you on the edge of your seat, wondering if Kyu-nam will manage to escape. From tense chase scenes, to exciting fight sequences, there are a lot of action-packed moments in Escape. The film also does a nice job of fleshing out these characters’ backstories and motivations over the course of the movie. The stakes are high, and it’s clear early on that this is a very deadly and dangerous situation. However, in addition to all the character drama, emotional moments, and action, the filmmakers also manage to inject a lot of humor, such as when Kyu-nam manipulates and outsmarts some soldiers at a detention center. There is also this fun, odd quirkiness to Li Hyun-sang, who insists that Kyu-nam call him “Bro”, like in their childhood days. Overall, the film is a fun, tense and action-packed rollercoaster ride.

Well Go USA has released Escape on Blu-ray, DVD and digital format. Normally in my reviews, I would comment on the audio and video presentation of the release, but since I watched this film via a watermarked screener, I’m not sure how it compares to the final quality of the consumer product. That said, the audio and video quality on my screener was generally quite good. The film is presented in its original Korean language with English subtitles. There is no English dub option, but I found the subtitles to be well-written and easy to follow. While the digital release does not include any bonus material, the physical release does contain a making-of featurette, a character trailer, and trailer commentary.

What’s Included:

Digital specs may vary by platform/retailer.

Film: (1:34:21)

1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: Korean Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English

Extras:

No bonus material included on digital release. Physical release contains a making-of featurette, a character trailer, and trailer commentary.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

N/A

Audio:

N/A

Extras:

Recommended

Escape is a fun, exciting, dramatic and sometimes tense film that is part action-thriller, part character drama, part buddy-action-comedy. It makes for an entertaining 90-minute rollercoaster ride. Fans may want to pick up the physical release, which contains some bonus material, but the digital release also comes recommended.