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Cast: Sol Kyung Gu, Kim Nam Joo
When his son is kidnapped from a Seoul playground, South Korean TV news anchor Han Kyung-bae (Kyung-gu Sol) starts receiving phone calls from a sinister voice that demands a ransom in exchange for the boy's life. Kyung-bae and his wife (Nam-ju Kim) call the cops, but the wily kidnapper stays one step ahead of the law as one ransom exchange after another falls through.
This film is not violent or graphic in anyway but it certainly packs the suspense that will have any parent at the edge of their seat. I don't believe in giving away spoilers to films so I am not going to go into much more about the story itself, what is written above is enough to know going into this one. I can say after the young boy is taken the kidnapper plays a game of cat and mouse with the parents and the police for 44 days, it is hard to imagine what these parents must of had to endure during that period of time. Based on a true-life case from 1991 it relates even today with all the children that go missing. The cast here is terrific and the two leads give realistic and heart-wrenching performances as the desperate parents willing to do anything to get their son back. As each day goes by and the kidnapper continues to walk free the parents begin to get more and more angry with the police and their lack of effort in finding their child. This is an intense thriller and really pulls at the heart strings and it takes you from having hope that their son will be found unharmed to being heart broken. This might not be for everyone simply because it is a sad film and and it is never once sugar coated for entertainment value. It hits hard and it pulls you into these two people's shattered lives. Writer/Director, Jin-pyo Park does a great job at keeping the suspense high and he really seemed to bring out the best in his cast as well because they are all terrific in their roles. I wish I could tell more about what happens here but take my word for it you will be happy I didn't. The highest grossing Korean film of 2007 and for good reason. You might of seen similar movies that were made in Hollywood about kidnappings but you haven't seen one as realistic as this one. If you enjoy a good thriller then do yourself a favor and pick this up today, you will thank me later. Released by Virgil Films and Entertainment
***** Out Of *****