tunnel

Just as music fans flocked to vinyl for improved fidelity and collateral coolness, the past decade has seen cineastes celebrating just about every movie made in Korea. And in many cases, the praise is well deserved. From small emotional stories like Sunny (2011) and costume epics like Masquerade (2012), Korean filmmakers have proven they can do anything Hollywood can...and is some cases much better. But it's genre films that have gotten the most exposure, one-upping American monster movies and action flicks with a creative energy lacking in the stuff produced stateside. Even Tunnel (2016), a fairly typical twist on the disaster / survival story, drills down to make a personal impact, rather than relying on special effects to carry the load.

Driving through a newly completed tunnel on his way home from work, Jung-soo (Jung-woo Ha) is trapped beneath a literal mountain of rubble, kept safe beneath the fragile shell of his Kia. With a working cell phone, two bottles of water and a birthday cake to keep him going, Jung-soo prepares himself for a bit of a wait before rescuers can arrive. But days soon become weeks and the political posturing topside - as media and government officials first manipulate then distance themselves from the situation - doesn't looking promising. Which begs the question: can you really put a price tag on a human life?

Despite a high-concept scenario and a brief but impressive opening effects sequence, Tunnel is a pretty low-key affair. Its effectiveness relies on audience sympathy and a whole lot of "what if this happened to me?"-style thinking as Jung-soo's situation devolves from bad to worse. Water and a dwindling cell phone battery are the two biggest challenges, but the film adds in a few surprises that keep the story from becoming too creatively confined.

Director Seong-hun Kim (A Hard Day) saves his social commentary for the scenes up top, as Jung Soo's wife (played by Doona Bae) navigates a swarm of ruthless reporters and well-meaning but poorly prepared rescue workers. It's the sort of subtext international blockbusters like San Andreas dump at the scripting stage, but here it makes for a nice balance. In the end, it's still Jung-soo's story (Jung-woo Ha, veteran of modern Korean classic likes The Handmaiden, The Chaser and The Yellow Sea, is superb in the lead), but its the connections he makes with others, even 500 feet underground, that are at the heart of the film.

Well Go USA's DVD presentation is very good, which makes up for the inexplicable lack of a Blu-ray release. Subtitled Korean audio is the way to go, but there is an English dub track if you're feeling lazy. Extras are limited to a trio of trailers.