12.12: The Day

You need to concentrate during this fact based historical movie about Chun's military coup in 1979. It is helpful I understanding the history of the time to see these events and people brought to life on screen with familiar actors.

The story is hard to follow at times. Too many different soldiers in each scene so it is hard to keep track of who is who and on which side. The movie as the title suggests focuses on the day of the coup. They did not show the assassination the preceded the events or explain the consequences of the military dictatorship. So it was hard to realize what was at stake and why the coup was so significant. But that would be too long for a movie.

When you can understand what is going on it is quite exciting. There are tense standoffs. Jung Woo Sung as the general who stood up to the coup is classy and refined as usual. And anyone can feel his righteous indignation. Hwan Jung Min is convincing and intense as expected as the military dictator who would become president. Moving cameo by Jung Hae In.

The good thing is this movie prompts interest in what happened to the characters and how dictators ruled the country for so long under the guise of democracy like some other so called democracies in Asia and around the world.

Based on true events, 12.12: The Day, released in the end of Nov 2023 and has very quickly become the highest grossing film of the year over there; will likely end up being the best Korean film of 2023 as well. It has broken into the top 9 of all-time Korean box office.

12.12: The Day is a historical action drama set in 1979. Following the assassination of President Park in, military factions wrestle for control during a violent coup in this tense South Korea. The film focusses on the 12 December 1979 military coup and the related conflict between the military leaders. If you've watched the film 'A Taxi Driver', the Gwangju uprising depicted in it was a response to the military coup in 'The Day'

If you like military/war dramas or political thrillers, you have GOT to watch this film. The cast did a stellar job of conveying the sense of urgency and turmoil in a nation's trying times. I don't know enough Korean history, but based on the plot of the film, there are clear protagonists and antagonists; the plot is written so well, the scheming is SO convincing, the idiots are such idiots played so well, that you want the good guys to win and the bad guys to lose even if you don't know the language and not relate to the national story being told.

The film is brilliantly shot, and the sound design deserves special mention for keeping the intensity and the sense of urgency high throughout the film. It takes off in the first five minutes and there are no lows in the film after that. Sit down, buckle up and you're in for a thrilling ride. As someone who didn't know the history behind the events, the destination of this ride was.... anticlimactic but because these are real events, it added a certain value to my viewing experience. Don't miss this one.

I have recently been watching one after the other terrific Korean movie. Why? Because unknown to many Western movie goers (me included until recently) the Korean movie industry is without a doubt one of the very best creators of intense, true to life dramas. They dont come much better than this!

This movie is all about Korean politics and war history. Not knowing anything about Korea's history didnt prevent me from being thoroughly impressed by this storyline though about ONE exceptionally brave and patriotic army commander who single handedly tried to stop a military uprising against the government. Not kiddin'.

What intense drama! What glorious characters. What evil and wicked treachery. What a sad and demoralising final. What a blast to watch!

Highly recommended for the fans of Korean cinema and also for those who are into fierce and unrelenting, war dramas.

Wow... This electric political thriller by Kim Sung-su is a masterwork in the genre and the single best I've seen since The Spy Gone North (or maybe The Man Standing Next which is, coincidentally, a great companion piece to this film). Like in Kim's Asura, both Hwang Jung-min and Jung Woo-sung star in the main roles, and they kill it.

The film follows infamous events in 1979. When corrupt general Chun Doo-hwan incited the coup d'état that aimed to overthrow the current leadership. Korean audiences are familiar with the event, but everyone else should do a bit of light reading to get up to speed with the era's political situation, just to avoid possible confusion while watching. Otherwise, this is dynamic, seriously impressive filmmaking that will grip anyone who enjoys the political drama/thriller genre and shows an interest in historical events.

Both Hwang and Jung are great in the main roles, and they're aided by a small army of capable supporting actors who perform admirably. Chun is quite a despicable figure from Korea's past and Hwang embodies him as a charismatic but scheming villain not unlike his mayor role in Asura. Jung's commander Lee, in contrast, evokes pathos as a man willing to stand his ground in the face of tyranny, despite everyone's pleads.

This is a lengthy, talky film that begins as a slowly boiling pot that gains considerable speed by the halfway mark and never lets up. It's very involving and brilliantly shot, with explosive violence that occasionally erupts after long buildups, making it all the more effective. The coup's initial stage is skilfully filmed as several events happen all at once, and is arguably one of the film's high points.

Huge recommendation for what is definitely among the best Korean films of 2023.

A whirlwind of events that happened during nine hours on some winter day, rushing through and to the ending that we already know for two-and-a-half hours. AND I could not take my eyes off for one second, and those two hours felt like a glimpse of a moment.

Chronologically perfect organization makes complicated events compact and clear. The plot is a spider web; everything is connected to everything, and there is no leap of logic from one event to another. At first, I was worried that all members of Hanahoe getting their moment would muddle the main narrative and obscure strong message. However, how it is executed from the director is just perfection: perfect structure and system. Moreover, because '12.12: The Day' extends the focus from Jeon Du-Hwan alone to Hanahoe, the message becomes stronger and more relevant. Villainizing one person is not enough; the problem lies deep in the rooted corrupt system. Jeon is gone, but Hanahoe in all kinds of forms still exist in today's society.

Hats off to how the director portrays the ending. Lee tae-shin is not described as a loser, but Jeon is as history would tell the story to the next generations.

Lighting plays an important role in the whole movie. 12.12 happens from 7pm to 4am next day. Lights at night from all kinds of sources like lamp posts, headlights from the tanks, old light bulbs in the old building, and even cigarette lights emanate a different atmosphere in different situations. Jeon hides from the light by turning off the lightbulb right when the most important conversation of his life is happening. Lee walks into the light with hundreds of searchlights pointing at him with utmost confidence and grace at the end.

The only weakness of '12. 12: The Day' is that I could not handle myself being outraged and suffocated so often that I had to check my blood pressure and to distance myself from the film from time to time.

*Jung Woo-sung finally meets THE one. His best performance, the best character that embodies actor Jung Woo-Sung. It is every Korean director's wish to portray the best version of Jung, and Kim Sung-soo achieved that goal.