Hijacking

'Hijack 1971' is a fact-based story of a pilot's heroic actions during a hijacking.

In 1968, a South Korean passenger aircraft was hijacked and flown to North Korea. Only 39 of the 50 passengers were repatriated, and the hijacker received a big sum of money for the plane. In 1971, the hijacker's brother, 22-year old Yong-dae, hijacks a plane and forces them to fly to North Korea.

With the pilot injured and blinded, First Officer Tae-in takes over the ranks as pilot. Armed with hand grenades, sole hijacker Yong-dae has the upper hand, with the passengers reeling in fear. Now, Tae-in and the passengers must devise a plan before reaching North Korea, in fear that they might follow the same fate as the passengers of the 1968 hijacked plane.

The film offers plenty of drama, action and suspense and is guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seat for its entire runtime.

Inspired by the Korean Air F27 hijacking unfold on the 23 january 1971, the movie defenitely keep a tension during most of the acts.

The casting is on the spot and the performances are quite good.

However, as specified at the beginning of the movie, this is freely inspired by the event and lots of sequences are made only for dramatic purposes. The problem with that is the numerous irrational reactions of the passengers wich will probably make you wonder why people are reacting like that.

But the real major problem of this movie, in my opinion, and I noticed that this is often the case with movies produce by Sony, is the CGI.

All the planes shots looks way to fake, especially when you have in mind the Top Gun Maverick shots in mind. I saw more realistic videos from people who play Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 maxout in 8K with mods.

Not an awful movie, but could have been way better.

This movie made me write my first IMDb review, it's THAT GOOD yall.

I really didn't expect anything coming to see it at the cinema. It's honestly one of the best Korean movies I've seen in my entire life. The acting is out of this world, the movie is very immersive & thrilling, beside the main character's', I got to see the side characters's emotions as well which is very rare. It's so well executed and the fact that it's based on a true story blew my mind. I don't know what else to say, just go see it. Best plane hijacking movie ever. Also it's emotional, and it hits deep, prepare to feel the characters' pains as well.

What to say other than this is a solid movie with a solid plot and solid CGI and solid acting. However, for a Korean film, I thought it fell short in comparison to some of the greats. I mean, not every movie would be great, but Koreans are exceptional with the balance of comedy and tragedy. Many Korean movies really move the emotions, having you laugh in tears in the beginning and sobbing uncontrollably in the end.

The reason a lot of Korean films are losing their strength is because they're trying too hard to copy Hollywood. This film would be one of those and so the story seems generic and the dialogues just move the story along without making any real impact. As such the movie doesn't leave much of an impression.

I think a better writer could've made this movie great by going back to what they do best, comedy and tragedy.

6/10.

A good 2024 action, thriller, and drama film based on a real plane hijacking incident that took place in 1971.

Based on a true event, the film depicts an attempted hijacking of a Korean Air Lines passenger plane flying from Sokcho to Gimpo, intended to be diverted to North Korea. The film portrays what the passengers, crew, and especially the pilots (starring Ha Jung-woo) experienced during these dangerous and tense moments, and their efforts to regain control of the situation.

Carrying the weight of being based on a true story, the film offers a high-paced and tension-filled atmosphere. Although some visual aspects and partial fictional storylines might be noticeable, the desperation, fear, and struggle for survival experienced within the confined space of the aircraft are successfully portrayed.

Ha Jung-woo's performance as the cool-headed pilot and Yeo Jin-goo's performance as the young hijacker are quite successful. The tension between the two forms one of the film's key dynamics and serves as a reminder that "there are two sides to every story." The other actors also effectively conveyed the emotional intensity of their characters.

The real footage shown at the end is impactful. After watching many cliché productions on this subject, they have produced a fine film that doesn't leave the viewer disappointed.