Decibel

Not all of the actors were convincing or acted well in this drab feature but, for the 2 or 3 who were very good I have given the film a 3 star(instead of the 1 I was going to award it).

This was -for me- the dullest film in every way and, that is a rare thing to say indeed for a South Korean film...no matter what genre it falls into. It failed to light any spark of tension to have me sitting on the edge of my seat and, it failed to explain itself clearly in every single film piece. So! After about 20 minutes into the film I found myself at the point of not giving a damn who or what the the hell was blown up next.

Its a story that has been done before but the director just appears to have not been up to the job of getting his actors to give him what the audience needed to find it worth watching!

I watched this South Korean movie with very bad subtitles which kinda ruined the experience a bit. The translator had problems with the genders as he constantly made the mistake between her and him or he and she. Also the names of the Koreans are just very difficult to remember for an European so that on top of the very fast dialogues just lead to confusion. I wonder if Koreans have the same difficulties to remember our names like John, Paul or Guy? That said the story was very entertaining, with constant suspense and action. I would have scored it eight if the subtitles weren't that bad. The acting was good, not overacting like it's sometimes the case with Asian actors. South Koreans just know how to act and how to make movies. Definitely the best Asian country for quality movies. I see Decibel is also categorized as a horror movie but that's absolutely not the case. It's an action thriller, a good one.

Decibel might ride on the damsel-in-distress cliche but scores well in the execution of action scenes. The sound-responsive bomb is an innovative feature that heightens the tension and creates a distinct brand of multisensory suspense. These unforgiving bombs increase viewers' sensitivity to sound.

The cast's excellent screen presence adds to the tension. Decibel is one of the few times fans get to see Lee JongSuk play the antagonist, and he does not disappoint. His performance of villain-grade lunacy, driven by profound pain, elicited gasps from the audience. Cha EunWoo also had his moments to shine, as he conveyed a heartfelt farewell on the submarine. Jung SangHoon balances the intense action with his humanity and some slapstick moments before things get too serious.

To be honest, it was soo heartbreaking to see the aftermath of a terrible accident in which truths were swept under the rug and accident victims were left with mental traumas. With that, I felt, the submarine problem is an important part of the film that may have been overshadowed by the bombs and action. DoYoung's dilemma immediately brings to mind the classic trolley problem experiment, and viewers are called to ponder what they would have done in that situation. However, as it demonstrates, there is no perfect solution to every problem.

In a nutshell, Decibel has a heartfelt plot. It was a film that revealed the weight of being a leader and the decisions that must be made. The decision costs lives and changes the lives of others. Perfect one for one time watch!

With the two base plots(Submarine & Bomb) the run time of 2hrs is Crispy that makes watchable... Being tagged as sound terror movie where a bomb explodes if it reaches certain level of decibel is enough to crave for the movie... The combination of all lead actors was a tremendous job where every characters move along the flick to give a emotional texture especially Lee Jong's villainous act is a show stealer... Though the plot wasn't boring the writing falls flat at later part making it to feel an ordinary movie that uncovers the plot with belated time... The best part is a glimpses of Submarine portion scenes could have been an extended Overall a high octane action movie with some human value makes it watch worthy.

Korean's Cinema glory days belong in the past. Now it's decaying. Actors overacting, the same overdramatic context again and again. It's like we are watching the same movie, just with variations. And it's a shame, because there are many talented people involving in this area. Great action scenes, original stories etc. Please, do something, Korea is a big hope for the global film industry.

This has its moments. Action scenes are good. It's interesting and enjoyable. But it's longer than it should be. Viewer does not connect with the characters, it's too fast, chaotic and messy. At some point, i didn't care about what happened. Acting is wooden, except Rae-won Kim, he is very good. For sure, it's not a bad action movie. If you are a big a fan of this genre, maybe you will enjoy it more than me.