Unlocked

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.

South-Korean cinema, still one of my favourites since awhile now. They just manage to release some really good movies, unlike their neighbouring countries that rarely bring us decent movies. No overacting with the South-Koreans which is quite rare with Asian actors. Writer/director Kim Tae-joon had the good idea making a crime/thriller about our usage of our smartphones, something a lot of people are just addicted to. You could not have made this movie a couple decades ago, as everybody would have seen it as a sci-fi but nowadays it looks pretty realistic. Certainly the youth that feel the need and urge to share their complete life with the rest of the world, until they will encounter an evil person like in this movie. Good acting, good storytelling with a bit of mystery, and good cinematography, definitely worth a watch.

This is a departure of the type of Korean films I usually watch (Rom-Coms), but decided to watch it solely because of the main lead Siwan as I had a curiosity to see him act in a total opposite role of what I have seen him do in the past (nice-guy roles). I just finished watching him in Summer Strike. He did not disappoint in this switch to a scary bad murderous guy. There is a little too much violence for me in the film, especially at the end and I was watching it before bed and turned it off to finish it in the morning as it was scary. Finished it the next day and the ending was different than I expected.

Acting was fine overall, but something is missing overall. The plot at least made sense, but highly predictable. Sorry but nothing there to thrill anyone. I recommend this movie if you are a big fan of any actor/actress in this movie. Or the Korean movies excite you so much that you are willing to waste several hours one night.

"Don't lose your mobile phone!" This message was loud and clear, and this movie shows how much our daily lives are tied to it. Our love hate relationship with the mobile phone is here to stay, so let's handle it with care at all times. Or else someone will come after you and people who cares about you.

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.