Deu tae-ro ra-i-beu

The Terror Live (2013) : Brief Review -

The Terror Live is misfired at occasions but throws its big bombs perfectly at corrupt system and disloyal media. I am not a big fan of Korean cinema but i have loved watching major classics made there. Maybe that's why i expect every acclaimed/known Korean film to be damn sensible and intellectual and may be that's why The Terror Live seemed like a gun, misfired at some places. The film is close to 'real time thriller' term but as we progress with the characters, we start getting those regular vibes. A newsman discovers he's been rigged with a bomb after he has an exclusive interview with a terrorist who blew up a bridge. The story has a simple demand that the audience should stick to it for 95 minutes and if that's okay for you then this one is not a waste of time at all. I tried to think about the motive of the film and i realised that it was very important. But then i see what changes have we seen after that in system, politicians and media who are still walking corrupted with no fear of any sort? Then did the film really succeed to send a message? It has.. but i guess people are not interested about it after finishing those 90 minutes of viewing. So all that important topic and stuff I was talking about goes in vain. The film fails to match its own intelligence by making false promises at the beginning, however, i liked the point when it tries to find a new motive after losing that promised one. The performances and technical aspects are excellent. It keeps you on edge of your seats and it's quite possible that you might just end up bitting nails by the time it ends. It's true that a better writing would have made it a classic thriller and i had to say that it misses the tag by some noticeable distance. Nevertheless, it still worths every second of your watch time so don't miss it. I'm going with half-a-star extra only for attempting to do something different from mainstream filmmaking.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

A former news anchor turned radio host, tries to negotiate with a terrorist who is bombing the city.

This isn't a bad film. I enjoyed it but I didn't think it was as good I had hoped it would be. There is a effort to have the story make sense but still had a couple of holes. The actors played their parts well and there is a fairly consistent level of suspense.

Overall I liked it.

"The Terror Live" is one prime example of how to make a riveting thrilling film seated in just one room. All the drama and action unfold inside one studio room where a news anchor is forced by a terrorist to fulfill his needs else he will blow up a bridge (which he actually does once to send his message out clear).

1.5 hrs and not a single dull moment. Performances by the lead is especially great. The ending kind of leaves you emotional. It leaves you thinking.

However, it is not perfect hence i reduced 2 stars. First, in the entire 1 hour there is no bomb squad which was talked about. Second, the entire story gets predictable very soon thanks to the terrorist revealing "why" he was doing such a thing. Third, never seen a police chief as dumb as the one shown in the film. A lot of events just happen without any reason which leaves several audience questions unanswered.

Nevertheless, this film is definitely for you if you love single room thrillers and if you can ignore the negatives.

I definitely did not expect to like this as much as I do. It was an act of terrorism but it was also the result of many things. I really liked the nuances in morality in this one and how there was no "happy" ending.

The Terror Live is a very tight thriller in the best Korean tradition. It follows a former successful TV news anchor Yoon who has been demoted to a radio host. One day an upset caller threatens to blow up a bridge only to be dismissed, needless to say it was no mere idle threat and in a matter of seconds after the call is over a bridge does did explode.Thus begins a tense back and forth between Yoon and the terrorist while the nation watches in growing horror.

There are many good things going for this movie. The real time format never gives the viewer a break and the tension builds up to such a pitch as to be almost palpable. This comes across through the main's superb acting, the actor's voice and demeanor carry his distress as he scrambles for self-mastery in facing the cameras installed in his radio studio. What at first seemed like the chance of a lifetime as Yoon puts it, the perfect opportunity for going back to his television stardom, degenerates into a veritable nightmare on all fronts. Yoon pays greatly for his choice of exploiting the terrorist attack for his career.

It is interesting how The Terror Live focuses exclusively on domestic terror. The highly contentious neighbor country of North Korea is not even mentioned, the movie is firmly steeped in a South Korean reality through and through. The very premise of the media having such a swaying control fits well with South Korean society.

Strangely enough social media plays no part in this movie but it does feel very modern. The shooting style, with well thought out closeups to heighten intensity and almost exclusively centered on the studio, creates an atmosphere of claustrophobia.

This is a very Korean movie so one should expect a great blurring of the line between terrorism and highly corrupt authorities, there are no heroes here to speak of but the human element comes across through the haze of panic.

A few minor plot points keep this from reaching perfection but it is a remarkably well crafted movie and well worth watching. And it could happen in real life. Almost.