Escape from Mogadishu

It is 1991, and Somalia is under the iron grip of President Barre's military junta. The good-humoured Han Shin-sung is the South Korean Ambassador, who is often at odds with his North Korean counterpart Rim Yong-su. Shin-sung has a meeting scheduled with President Barre, for which his recently arrived underling Kang Dae-jin has brought gifts from South Korea. However, en-route, they are robbed, missing the meeting. Shin-sung suspects Yong-su, though before he can investigate further, a violent civil war breaks out, forcing the North and South Korean diplomats and embassy staff to work together if any of them are to survive.

A tense thriller, Ryu Seung-wan's 'Escape from Mogadishu' is a powerful treatise about ideology and the human cost of war. Written by Seung-wan and Lee Ki-cheol, their narrative contends that ideological differences must be set-aside in certain situations in order to ensure the well-being of those involved. In the context of the film, the South and North Koreans understand they must transcend their cultural and political divisions- such as their contrasting views on democracy, communism and reunification- if they are to survive; an uneasy task, but one they strive to do nevertheless.

Conversely, the film also reveals the commonalities the two sides share, such as their language, history and humanity. Seung-wan and Ki-cheol's screenplay challenges the prejudices that the characters have about each other, showing acutely how these are gradually overcome through mutual understanding and respect. In this way, it offers a rare glimpse into the nuanced relationship between the two Koreas, which is often oversimplified or ignored by the mainstream media.

The representation of the Korean sides stands in contrast with the brutality of the Somali warlords and militias, who have no regard for the lives of their own people. While the Koreans want to ensure their peoples safety, the Somalis are portrayed as bloodthirsty bandits. Both Barre's men- and those engaging in the uprising- murder and loot with impunity. As the Koreans attempt to escape the barbarity, the true cost of warfare is revealed. It is not Barre, nor the leaders of the uprising, who suffer- it is the common man and woman in the street.

Choi Young-hwan's cinematography is rich in texture and highly realistic. His atmospheric utilisation of differing colours heightens the contrast between the South and North Koreans, as well as with the Somalis, while the variety of camera angles he employs compounds the films tension and drama. Moreover, his use of aerial footage adds perspective to proceedings, while his close ups and shaky camera movements bolsters the action and emotional impact of scenes. Similar in ways to Rodrigo Prieto's work on Ben Affleck's 'Argo,' Young-hwan's handling of the film's visuals is consistently impressive.

Bang Jun-seok's emotive score creates urgency and panic, complementing the narrative astutely; particularly in the last act. Furthermore, Kim Bo-mook's production design is immersive and evocative, making locations look both real and lived-in. Bo-mook's work also compounds the contrast between the South and North Koreans, as does Rabiaa N'Gadi's set decoration and Hyein Ki's art direction. Additionally, Chae Kyung-hwa's costume design is striking, adding to the personalities and cultural backgrounds of the characters.

Kim Yoon-seok stars as Shin-sung, opposite Huh Joon-ho as Yong-su and Zo In-sung as Dae-jin. Yoon-seok impresses greatly, bringing much warmth and depth to the role, making the character instantly likable. Joon-ho delivers a nuanced performance as Yong-su, showing the forbidden humanity of a North Korean government official subtly and with much tact. In-sung is similarly good as the sturdy Dae-jin, while supporting stars Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim So-jin and Kim Jae-hwa cannot be faulted.

In conclusion, Ryu Seung-wan's 'Escape from Mogadishu' is an exciting and poignant examination of ideology, within the context of a civil war not often portrayed in film. Its narrative is compelling and insightful, while the cinematography from Choi Young-hwan continually impresses. Boasting a fine score, detailed production and set design- as well as powerhouse performances from all in the cast- this is one film you'll never want to escape from.

South Korea's Argo. While this film is an action film about Somalia, it is more profoundly a film about the sad divide along the Korean Penninsula. The entire ensemble cast of this film is praiseworthy. Whether playing the North and South Korean Diplomats and their families, the Somalia government soldiers, or the key rebel soldiers. All are in top form and immerse the viewer in a world of chaos, fear, and confusion that is unmatched by the majority of films of the past decade.

It looked more like a documentary shot and recorded by a journalist and his camera man. I don't know how this Korean director did it, but it just blow my mind. The riot on the streets, the beatings, the killings, the storming assaults on those foreign embassies' buildings, it's just so top-notched directing. As to the Korean part, whether they played the roles from either side of the 30-octave north latitude, all well acted, albeit sometime had to be a bit of overly dramatic to show how people would have acted under extreme danger.

I don't care about some viewers' narrow-minded complaints, saying this movie was not made in Somali, all the people were not real Somalians. Well, why it should be made in Somali? Why you had to hire the REAL Somali actors or people to play those roles? If we shoot a movie about Nazi or Nazi Germany, do we have to hire REAL Nazis or it won't look real? This is a movie, okay? All I can say is that most part of this movie just looked so real, absolutely incredible and terrifying.

It was entertaining, and I got to learn a little bit about history as well. While it was predictable in parts, I still enjoyed the chase scenes and the drama. The acting and music was pretty well done. Turns out, the movie was filmed in Morocco, and not in Somalia, for obvious reasons. So, they had to create an elaborate set and making a movie of this scale, with these many people involved must not have been easy.

The only gripe I have is the that moviemakers seriously need to rethink how they use "Bullets flying everywhere" part. It's 2021! 10s of people firing 100s of bullets out in the open and the bad guys really THAT incompetent? This plot convenience makes me roll my eyes every time, but oh well.

Overall, the story is about humanity and how we must put our differences aside and help each other out. It's nothing mind-blowing, but it's worth your 2 hours if you can look past the bullets flying everywhere. Easier said than done, as the movie shows. If you enjoyed movies like Argo, you might want to watch this one.

This movie is South Korea's entry for the Best International Picture at the Oscars 2022. - Not sure if it'll make it to the shortlist, but lets see.

Movies of this type dealing with escape from civil war like 13 hours, Black Hawk Down, Hotel Rwanda and Argo, each have their good points and unique perspective. I found Escape from Mogadishu to be the most all round entertaining movie of this genre. It has the good elements of each of those movies and the result is a scary thriller that shows the horrors of being caught in a civil war and yet has individual civilian characters that are are involving and easily identifiable so it's more tense than just a soldier vs rebels story like BHD. Firstly the action scenes including street battles and car escape are outstanding even if you think you've seen it before. The murderous rebels are scarier than any zombie horror movie. The director had just the right touch balancing excitement and some humor now and then to keep things from getting overwrought. The twists and turns of escaping and the North South diplomatic complications are interesting. Everything is good about this movie, the story, the pace, the cinematography, the direction, and the production values. S Korea has done it better than Hollywood again.