- Director : Ryoo Seung-Wan
- Actors : Kim Yoon-Seok, Zo In-Sung, Huh Joon-Ho, Koo Kyo-Hwan, Kim So-Jin
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- Media Format : Subtitled, Widescreen
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Run time : 2 hours and 1 minute
- Release date : January 18, 2022
- Country of Origin : South Korea
- Number of discs : 1
Escape from Mogadishu is a historical thriller
set during the Somali Civil War in the early 1990s, as both the North and South
Korean embassies lobbying the Somali government for support to be admitted into
the United Nations. Although based on a true story, Escape from Mogadishu
also relies on tropes expected of genre films, which adds familiarity and excitement
to a historical narrative many may not remember. It is also idealistic in
nature, which is not necessarily a bad thing for a film traversing the complex
relationship between North and South Koreans. In many ways it reminded me of similar South Korean films, such as Joint Security Area and Swing Kids.
While in Somalia,
the capital city of Mogadishu, the war reaches each of the embassies, putting
the Korean citizens inside in danger. Han Sin-seong (Kim Yoon-seok), the chief
ambassador in Somalia, is able to acquire protection from the Somalian military
at a cost, but the rioters break into the North Korean embassy, forcing them to
flee. With nowhere else to go, the North Korean ambassador Rim Yong-su (Heo
Joon-ho) turns to the South Koreans for assistance. The two countries join
forces in their efforts to survive and escape, while remaining consistently suspicious
of each other.
Even as the
citizens from each country are struggling to make it out of the situation
alive, South Korean intelligence officer Kang Dae-jin (Jo In-sung) and North Korean
intelligence officer Tae Joon-ki (Koo Kyo-hwan) continue to use the opportunity
advantageously. Kang attempts to use the situation to try and convince the
North Koreans to defect, and Tae reacts violently to this assumption. Even with
no political agreement between them, the survivors must find a way to trust
each other in order to escape the country safely.
Escape from
Mogadishu amps up the excitement with shootouts, fistfights, and a
climactic car chase sequence, but the film is actually most effective in the
quieter moments between the characters. Perhaps I was simply filtering the
narrative through the context of my own country’s current political climate
preoccupied with division and conflict, but it was the intimate efforts between
the citizens from opposing countries that were most engaging to me. An early
sequence of a shared meal in which one side is automatically suspicious of
poisoning eventually gives way to a bond which each knows must be set aside once
they have escaped.
The special
features on the Blu-ray release of Escape from Mogadishu include a
featurette about the making of the film. There is also a trailer.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Special Features: 3.5/10
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