Unlocked

Even if this is a work of fiction, the things and the messages it sought to convey here show just a small portion of the terrifying reality we cannot afford to overlook!

This movie tries to educate us about that issue while presenting a relatable piece of narrative that could happen to anyone, which is the most frightening aspect of the film. In todays modern world of digital dependency, we prevalently underestimate the factor of anonymity and that could bring a slew of problems. One mistake can bring inconceivable repercussions.

Now, merely evaluating it from a cinematic point of view, it was just passable; neither great nor horrible! The first two acts are excellent because they happen to construct a tense, suspenseful buildup, but when the third act gets underway, everything falls apart. I'm not certain as to what exactly went wrong, but they were just not able to maintain the momentum or the true essence of the tale.

The concept of this film is derived from the fact that what if someone had unlimited use of your smartphone and how much damage he could do to your life.

The movie is about an elusive serial killer who has a habit of stealing the smartphone of his chosen victim and stalking them and finally terminating them.

The film shows digital crime in this modern digital era. The plot concerns a young and enterprising woman who has a great ambition to succeed in life. However when her smartphone is stolen and her identity manipulated by the thief, slowly her life turns into a living nightmare.

Thrown into the mix is a veteran cop who is desperately searching for his missing son. The lives of these two individuals will be slowly entwined into a dramatic climax.

Verdict: I've seen many good Korean films in my life: I Saw The Devil(2010) and The Man From Nowhere(2010) being prime examples of how good the Korean film industry is. This film is excellent from start to finish, you will never feel bored. However the movie is not meant for repeated viewing unlike the two movies I mentioned earlier. You'll watch this film once and never care to see it again.

New Korean content on Netflix, Unlocked, is an interesting and thought provoking movie about being heavily consumed by smartphones these days. While this is not the first movie to tackle this subject, it did a good job in delivering a realistic wake up call about the dangers of social media without any sugarcoating.

The pacing was good and the story delivered an unexpected twist in the end. It was suspenseful, it was urgent, and it was generally well made. Si-wan as the antagonist was convincing, although I felt that the thrill could have been more given it's genre. If you're looking for a thrilling watch instead of a bubbly rom-com this February, Unlocked is one to turn your attention to.

My Rating : 7/10.

A young woman's phone is hacked with destructive consequences. Such as for many young adults, the most important aspects of her social, business, and private life are inseparable from her cell phone.

After someone returns her lost phone, she takes it to a cell phone shop for a broken screen repair and makes a big mistake of writing her password on a piece of paper when the shop owner requests it. Obviously, you don't need to give your password to get your screen replaced. Even if it is required, you should only unlock your phone without giving away your password. And never take your phone to an unauthorized dealer.

The shop owner jail-breaks the phone and side-loads the spying software which allows him to see her through her phone's camera and mirrors her phone screen onto one of his phones. He watches her every move and records all her calls.

The acting is great, however, the script is disappointing in the 2nd half. Particularly the dialog between the two police officers is ridiculous. The way they handle the case is so unlikely, unreasonable, and plain stupid that their actions cause irreparable harm to the plot. It literally drops icy cold water on the face and disconnects the viewer from the story.

The plot had so much to offer. If the police handling of the case would have not been written so dumb, the film could have been much more enjoyable.

Storyline 1: Girl loses her phone. Weirdo finds phone, installs spyware and proceeds to destroy girl's life.

Storyline 2: A body has been found on a mountaintop. Detective thinks his runaway son might be involved. With a bit more investigating, more bodies are found. Yep. We've got a serial killer.

IMO, South Korea has found a niche in producing quality thrillers. With films like Oldboy (2003), I Saw the Devil (2010), Blood and Ties (2013) and The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil (2019), there's a nice collection of films that can keep you on the edge of your seat. Each has a special something that pushes it into an above average watch. It could be the actors portraying their characters, the story itself or the way the film progresses but each film has a little something extra that makes you lean back after watching it and say, "That was good." While I didn't have that moment at the end of this, it was still a decent watch.

The story is somewhat cliché and predictable. It was lacking a true sense of drama and thrill. The actors delivered good performances but they all failed to reach above and beyond. The stand out, for me, would have to be our weirdo. There's something about the smug, arrogant narcissist that gets under my skin and keeps me hooked simply because I want to see this guy get what's coming to him. That's what really kept me interested.

It fails to be driven by a sense of vengeance like what is seen in I Saw the Devil (2010), the urgent thrill of something like The Chaser (2008) or the strategy and action one finds in The Divine Move (2014) but it is an okay watch for a weeknight on the couch. If that's what you are looking for, check it out.