RANSOMED – Review

South Korea has exported a slew of first-rate action flicks in the past few years, and RANSOMED counts as another. Most have been based on cops vs. bad guys within the country. This one, supposedly based on real events, takes us to Lebanon in the 1980s. It also plies the waters of plot complexities and suspense more, without sacrificing the action component.

As factional wars rage within Lebanon, one group kidnaps a Korean diplomat, holding him for over a year before finally demanding a $5 million ransom. A foreign-service colleague, Min-joon (Ha Jung-woo), volunteers for the risky task of delivering the cash and returning with the hostage, even though he’s been a desk jockey without any military that would prepare him for the likely difficulties in achieving the rescue. Corrupt police are swarming the airport, waiting to grab him and seize the dough. He barely escapes, leaving him too little time to locate his contact. Fortunately (or possibly not) he finds a fellow Korean, Pan-su (Ju Ji-hoon) in the line of taxis. They speed away from the cops, setting up the first of several chase scenes to come. His supposedly covert arrival quickly proves to rank among the worst-kept secrets since Liberace came out of his lavishly-sequined closet.

Pan-su, who is quite a hustler, and understandably averse to being shot at, reluctantly agrees to take him to the exchange point, after being offered a lot more money than metered cab fare would be. They have to sneak through a checkpoint of a second faction, and continue avoiding the militarized cops. Meanwhile, another well-armed terrorist group also knows he’s coming and snatches the hostage from the original kidnappers before he reaches the exchange point. The rest of the movie is Min-joon dashing about in unfamiliar territory, variably assisted, undermined or menaced by the aforementioned players, as he frantically tries to complete his mission.

No one is all good. Not all the opposing interests are all bad. Even our hero is less than noble. He took the gig partly as a matter of patriotism but mainly because it seemed his only path to a coveted promotion that was on the verge of being given to another member of the staff. The Korean honchos who had to approve and fund the effort are driven largely by concerns about politics, public relations and cost, rather than devotion to their colleague’s survival. Beyond that venality, there is very little judgment, or even mention, of any faction’s political position. Everyone competing in Lebanon is chasing the big payday, with the other groups merely rivals for the cash. It’s like a game show with a high body count among the gun-totin’ contestants. Suspense is the main element, with some bits of comic relief – mostly coming from Pan-su.

The chases, shootouts and explosions are superbly executed by director Kim Seong-hun and the stunt team. Kim’s resume at the helm isn’t long but it’s mostly action fare on TV and big screens. That experience shows. The film was shot in Morocco on locations that emphasize the extent of destruction from the larger conflicts, and ramp up the excitement level of the action sequences. The pace makes it seem shorter than its 132-minute running time. Perhaps most admirably, they don’t turn this white-collar star into a Rambo. He’s highly dependent on the kindness of strangers – even some who aren’t particularly trustworthy.

RANSOMED, in English, Korean and Arabic with English subtitles, debuts streaming on Well Go USA Entertainment in digital exclusively, on Friday, Feb. 2.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars