Bi-gong-sik-jak-jeon

Ransomed is a Well balanced Thriller. This Well Go USA release is loosely based on real events that took place in the lead up the critically important 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. When a previously kidnapped Korean Diplomat in Lebanon turns out to be alive a Korean Diplomatic office worker, played smartly by Ha Jung-woo, goes on a mission to deliver the ransom money and secure his release. When the mission gets dangerous and complicate he is forced to partner with an ex-pat, Korean taxi driver living in the area. That character is played by Ju Ji-hoon, and he is really, really great to watch. The film has elements of a spy thriller, action film, with the balance of the comedic aspects of an American "Buddy Film". There were times it reminded me of Escape to Mogadishu, which was more serious; at times of Argo; and at other times, Rush Hour. The end result of the film is one that is highly watchable and engaging. I highly recommend it. The acting, script, Direction, and cinematography are all very good. The supporting cast is very good in this, both on the Korean side, and inside of Beirut. Watch it in Korean, with English subititles.

Indeed the action is very entertaining--oh those tight streets but it's the imaginative creative problem solving and personal interactions which put this a step ahead of other such films. The frosting on the cake though is the show of loyalty and care of the civil servants who stand in solidarity in the hallway as they offer their salaries to pay the ransom while the so called "leaders' are willing to treat every life as expendable--except their own of course. One wonders how anyone manages to live in countries destroyed by war and overrun by gangs. Have to ask where all the guns and ammo come from as there seems to be an endless supply. The answer to that are not very pleasant.

I cringed a lot while watching this movie. As someone who has family members who lived and experienced the Civil War of Lebanon, this movie was written/depicted in a very bad way. I think they just wanted to base a story on the kidnapping case without any regard for the historical aspect of the Lebanese Civil War. I think this is really insensitive and had someone taken the Korean historical War and written an inaccurate spin on it, it would have been extremely offensive. This movie is and would be to every Lebanese.

First of all the movie wasn't even filmed in Lebanon. And BTW Lebanon looked much prettier during the Civil War than it does today, the country wasn't as ruined back then as it is today. Yet it shows Lebanon as a totally ruined desert. And there wasn't even any Lebanese-speaking actor besides one I think, the accent was far off from what a Lebanese accent. It's a shame really but I guess that was why the film wasn't filmed in Lebanon because it would probably have caused problems for the production team if they didn't get their facts straight about what happened during the Civil War.

But I guess I may have enjoyed the movie more had it not been for the fact that I'm Lebanese and actually know about what the Civil War was like.

Great movie with a mix of drama and action. The whole movie is action packed and I, as a viewer, find it interesting to watch a wide variety of characters who want something of their own. It's worth adding that the movie is really based on real events and it's a payoff. Koreans were able to convey the atmosphere of a real case.

There are a lot of funny moments in the movie, which together with the fight scenes look decent. And the dramatic moments make you feel completely different emotions. The movie raises eternal questions such as friendship, betrayal, etc.

I would also note the excellent camerawork and music accompaniment.

This is one of the few decent movies where the main genres are action and comedy.

Korean political action thriller in the same vein as Mogadishu and The Point Men.

Ha Jung-woo stars in the really entertaining film by up-and-coming director Kim Seong-hun (who already proved his worth with A Hard Day, and continues to do so here). Possibly a better offering than the other two films mentioned before, in a sense that it melds geopolitical concerns with plenty of action and humor without ever hitting a false note, bar an occasional scene.

I find it hard to believe there would be a genre fan out there who wouldn't at least enjoy parts of what Ransomed offers. It's so, so fun, intense, creative in its action scenes that its two-hour runtime zips by.

Very much recommended to genre fans, and/or if you simply like commercial entertainment done right.