- Actors: Jung-Woo Ha, Doona Bae, Oh Dal-Su
- Director: Kim Seong-Hun
- Disc Format: Color, Dolby, NTSC, THX, Widescreen
- Language: Korean (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Subtitles: English
- Dubbed: English
- Region: Region 1
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Rated: Not Rated
- Studio: Well Go USA
- DVD Release Date: May 2, 2017
- Run Time: 127 minutes
Disaster films
are a difficult sub-genre, relying on the effectiveness of filmmaking to build
suspense even when the narrative itself rarely offers many surprises. If it is
a disaster film about tornados, the audience is anticipating the specific
destruction they will bring. Tunnel
has an even harder task, limiting the cast and the number of things that can
happen in a confined space after a tunnel collapses as our protagonist is
driving through it. In fact, only the first portion of the film actually feels
like a disaster movie, with much of the run-time being more of a confined
survival narrative.
As family man
Jung-soo (Jung-woo Ha) is on his way home from a business trip, he travels
through a newly built tunnel when it inexplicably collapses on him. Immobilized
within the rubble, Jung-soo has only his cell phone and car radio to connect
him to the outside world. Getting help to come after being trapped is not
difficult, but the task of getting to him amidst the debris is far more complicated.
First is the difficult task of finding him, followed by the delicate process of
getting to Jung-soo without causing the tunnel to collapse even further. All of
these factors promise a lengthy rescue, while Jung-soo has limited resources in
his car to help him survive.
As inventive as
the film is in giving our surviving protagonist things to do within the
confinement of the tunnel, the 127-minute run-time is only possible by spending
as much time with the members of the rescue operation and commentating on the
outside world’s reaction to the disaster. Heading up the rescue is an
empathetic man named Dae-kyoung (Dal-su Oh), though he is forced to battle
against outside forces in order to accomplish the task. Making the job even
more urgent, Jung-soo’s wife (Doona Bae) remains at the rescue site, cooking
food for the workers as the only way to show appreciation for their efforts.
As much as this
is a survival tale, it is also a commentary on the culture surrounding such
events. The media cares less about the life of the man than the perception of
events. The media and government officials repeatedly get in the way of the
operation, trying to gain publicity or a good story from the tragic accident.
On top of that, construction of another tunnel in the area is forced to halt
during the rescue, costing so much money that some begin to question the worth
of a single human life. Although the satirical elements of the film are often
frustrating, the humor is also a welcome break from some of the bleaker aspects
of the narrative.
Some critics
have complained about the unnecessary length of Tunnel’s run-time, but I actually disagree. There are moments that
it begins to feel redundant, or as though the disaster may never end, but I
think that is the point. We are meant to be emotionally exhausted by the end,
and we slowly grow to truly care for the character because of the amount of
time we have spent in his company. A shorter film may have made the survival
suspense seem more intense, but it also would have lessened the emotional
impact. Tunnel is proof that a film
can have both character development and the spectacle from the disaster,
something that Hollywood blockbusters in this
sub-genre could learn to do better.
The DVD contains
no special features.
Entertainment Value:
7.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
Special Features: 0/10
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