South Korea's Argo. While this film is an action film about Somalia, it is more profoundly a film about the sad divide along the Korean Penninsula. The entire ensemble cast of this film is praiseworthy. Whether playing the North and South Korean Diplomats and their families, the Somalia government soldiers, or the key rebel soldiers. All are in top form and immerse the viewer in a world of chaos, fear, and confusion that is unmatched by the majority of films of the past decade.
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andrewchristianjr28 November 2021
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reelreviewsandrecommendations11 December 2023It is 1991, and Somalia is under the iron grip of President Barre's military junta. The good-humoured Han Shin-sung is the South Korean Ambassador, who is often at odds with his North Korean counterpart Rim Yong-su. Shin-sung has a meeting scheduled with President Barre, for which his recently arrived underling Kang Dae-jin has brought gifts from South Korea. However, en-route, they are robbed, missing the meeting. Shin-sung suspects Yong-su, though before he can investigate further, a violent civil war breaks out, forcing the North and South Korean diplomats and embassy staff to work together if any of them are to survive.
A tense thriller, Ryu Seung-wan's 'Escape from Mogadishu' is a powerful treatise about ideology and the human cost of war. Written by Seung-wan and Lee Ki-cheol, their narrative contends that ideological differences must be set-aside in certain situations in order to ensure the well-being of those involved. In the context of the film, the South and North Koreans understand they must transcend their cultural and political divisions- such as their contrasting views on democracy, communism and reunification- if they are to survive; an uneasy task, but one they strive to do nevertheless.
Conversely, the film also reveals the commonalities the two sides share, such as their language, history and humanity. Seung-wan and Ki-cheol's screenplay challenges the prejudices that the characters have about each other, showing acutely how these are gradually overcome through mutual understanding and respect. In this way, it offers a rare glimpse into the nuanced relationship between the two Koreas, which is often oversimplified or ignored by the mainstream media.
The representation of the Korean sides stands in contrast with the brutality of the Somali warlords and militias, who have no regard for the lives of their own people. While the Koreans want to ensure their peoples safety, the Somalis are portrayed as bloodthirsty bandits. Both Barre's men- and those engaging in the uprising- murder and loot with impunity. As the Koreans attempt to escape the barbarity, the true cost of warfare is revealed. It is not Barre, nor the leaders of the uprising, who suffer- it is the common man and woman in the street.
Choi Young-hwan's cinematography is rich in texture and highly realistic. His atmospheric utilisation of differing colours heightens the contrast between the South and North Koreans, as well as with the Somalis, while the variety of camera angles he employs compounds the films tension and drama. Moreover, his use of aerial footage adds perspective to proceedings, while his close ups and shaky camera movements bolsters the action and emotional impact of scenes. Similar in ways to Rodrigo Prieto's work on Ben Affleck's 'Argo,' Young-hwan's handling of the film's visuals is consistently impressive.
Bang Jun-seok's emotive score creates urgency and panic, complementing the narrative astutely; particularly in the last act. Furthermore, Kim Bo-mook's production design is immersive and evocative, making locations look both real and lived-in. Bo-mook's work also compounds the contrast between the South and North Koreans, as does Rabiaa N'Gadi's set decoration and Hyein Ki's art direction. Additionally, Chae Kyung-hwa's costume design is striking, adding to the personalities and cultural backgrounds of the characters.
Kim Yoon-seok stars as Shin-sung, opposite Huh Joon-ho as Yong-su and Zo In-sung as Dae-jin. Yoon-seok impresses greatly, bringing much warmth and depth to the role, making the character instantly likable. Joon-ho delivers a nuanced performance as Yong-su, showing the forbidden humanity of a North Korean government official subtly and with much tact. In-sung is similarly good as the sturdy Dae-jin, while supporting stars Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim So-jin and Kim Jae-hwa cannot be faulted.
In conclusion, Ryu Seung-wan's 'Escape from Mogadishu' is an exciting and poignant examination of ideology, within the context of a civil war not often portrayed in film. Its narrative is compelling and insightful, while the cinematography from Choi Young-hwan continually impresses. Boasting a fine score, detailed production and set design- as well as powerhouse performances from all in the cast- this is one film you'll never want to escape from. -
PedroPires9030 December 2021This works much better when it's speaking about the South and North Koreans relationships than when it's talkig about Somalia (it completely fails on that field). The thid act is very strong and compensates for a very hesitant first act.
Don't expect a artsy or a very contemplative film. This is a blockbuster and should be watched and reviewed like one. -
It looked more like a documentary shot and recorded by a journalist and his camera man. I don't know how this Korean director did it, but it just blow my mind. The riot on the streets, the beatings, the killings, the storming assaults on those foreign embassies' buildings, it's just so top-notched directing. As to the Korean part, whether they played the roles from either side of the 30-octave north latitude, all well acted, albeit sometime had to be a bit of overly dramatic to show how people would have acted under extreme danger.
I don't care about some viewers' narrow-minded complaints, saying this movie was not made in Somali, all the people were not real Somalians. Well, why it should be made in Somali? Why you had to hire the REAL Somali actors or people to play those roles? If we shoot a movie about Nazi or Nazi Germany, do we have to hire REAL Nazis or it won't look real? This is a movie, okay? All I can say is that most part of this movie just looked so real, absolutely incredible and terrifying. -
dzeilstra9 November 2021This is a film about the civil war in Somalia in 1991 and the problems for diplomats to flee the country. You need to know about Korean history and present political situation to understand the predicament that the ambassadors and their staff and families from both Korea's find themselves in. Politics almost outweigh humanitarian conduct. Finally they agree on a plan to escape together. The ride to the Italian embassy is spectacular, but also over-the-top. The four cars are fired at continuously from all angles by many machine guns, but they all arrive in one piece with just one casualty. Nevertheless this is an entertaining movie that painfully pictures a separation that is still present this day.
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SnoopyStyle19 June 2022Mogadishu is the capital city of Somalia. The North and South Korean diplomats are constantly fighting an unseen war. In 1991, rebels attack the city. The North Koreans have to abandon their embassy. Despite their distrust, they are forced to seek help from the South Koreans.
This is supposed to be based on true events. As always, one is never sure how much is true. It's a compelling story. There are some good drama and interesting characters. It has good action although some of it is closer to a Hollywood shoot them up movie. There is too much shooting to result in so few Korean dead. Sometimes, no shooting is just as intense or even more intense than chaotic Hollywood action. I really like some of the inter-Korean conflicts. It's a bit eye-opening for an outsider like me. All in all, this is a compelling movie with a whole lot of shooting action. -
TreeFiddy5322 October 2021It was entertaining, and I got to learn a little bit about history as well. While it was predictable in parts, I still enjoyed the chase scenes and the drama. The acting and music was pretty well done. Turns out, the movie was filmed in Morocco, and not in Somalia, for obvious reasons. So, they had to create an elaborate set and making a movie of this scale, with these many people involved must not have been easy.
The only gripe I have is the that moviemakers seriously need to rethink how they use "Bullets flying everywhere" part. It's 2021! 10s of people firing 100s of bullets out in the open and the bad guys really THAT incompetent? This plot convenience makes me roll my eyes every time, but oh well.
Overall, the story is about humanity and how we must put our differences aside and help each other out. It's nothing mind-blowing, but it's worth your 2 hours if you can look past the bullets flying everywhere. Easier said than done, as the movie shows. If you enjoyed movies like Argo, you might want to watch this one.
This movie is South Korea's entry for the Best International Picture at the Oscars 2022. - Not sure if it'll make it to the shortlist, but lets see. -
phd_travel28 November 2021Movies of this type dealing with escape from civil war like 13 hours, Black Hawk Down, Hotel Rwanda and Argo, each have their good points and unique perspective. I found Escape from Mogadishu to be the most all round entertaining movie of this genre. It has the good elements of each of those movies and the result is a scary thriller that shows the horrors of being caught in a civil war and yet has individual civilian characters that are are involving and easily identifiable so it's more tense than just a soldier vs rebels story like BHD. Firstly the action scenes including street battles and car escape are outstanding even if you think you've seen it before. The murderous rebels are scarier than any zombie horror movie. The director had just the right touch balancing excitement and some humor now and then to keep things from getting overwrought. The twists and turns of escaping and the North South diplomatic complications are interesting. Everything is good about this movie, the story, the pace, the cinematography, the direction, and the production values. S Korea has done it better than Hollywood again.
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HotDoggyBoomBooM15 December 2021This movie about a political rift between diplomats from north and south Korea in a respectful way as possible. Moreover what baffles me is the way they portrayed the environment and surroundings which looked actually like a apocalypse.
Its a nice film do watch . -
atractiveeyes25 November 2021South Korea's official entry to 2022's Oscars is a solid political thriller. It's mind blowing and intense. It's based on a beautiful interesting true story that delivers a great important message. Original score is amazing. Action and chasing scenes are awesome too.
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witra_as18 September 2021Perhaps worked best for Korean audience who have secretly been hoping for reunification. Wish Ryoo Seung-wan could explain more about 'parallels' between his country's internal conflict and Somali civil war. Thumbs up for technical efforts and thrilling car chases.
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hamzahussein5 November 2021As a Somali who has lived through that period, i can not stress when i see movies like this and black hawk down that.... it was so much more bloody and violent, gunshots ringing day in and out, dead people everywhere, children etc, it was just horrible. If anything the movie does capture this the best it can. Yes, no Somali actors are used, and this may offend the sensibilities of the Somali people as they view themselves as being racially distinct from other Africans but, i don't think this generic 'African' typecasting takes or adds much to the movie anyway, considering that the setting itself and the 'Somali' characters are tertiary to the actual focus of the film on the two Koreas overcoming their differences to escape the city. Watch the movie for what it is, a fun thriller with some beautiful action scenes, with some drama here and there enough to keep you entertained, and certainly worth a second re-watch. For a Korean film, this is up there capable of competing with some of the best true story adaptations out there on the international stage.
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m-ramanan3 May 2022RATED 6/10 Language: Korean Source: Amazon prime
This movie reminds me of "No Escape" in lot of places. As I dont know the history of the political feud beween N and S. Korea, couldnt enjoy/gel with the sentiment scenes. This is well crafted political escape with some fine acting. But the climax is unnecessarily stretched to add more masala... One time watchable political drama... -
AO819 October 2021I never thought I'd see the day where a movie that was portraying Somalia would be worse than "Blackhawk Down". This is an awful, and frankly borderline racist movie. They don't even use real somali actors. Are all black people the "same looking"? It's 2021, people know how Somalis and Other Africans look/differ. This is the equivalent of saying a Korean and Thai person sound the same. Take a note out of Captain Phillips and use real Somali actors. At least for Blackhawk down, it was before the internet boom, so people weren't as exposed or familiar with other languages. This is just pitiful and a mockery. You would briefly hear a couple somali words, but overall the actors portraying Somalis neither look or sound like Somali people. I'd give this a zero if I could.
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westsideschl30 May 2022Both Koreas are trying to gain U. N. support tor admittance & had sent envoys to African countries to gain votes. This story surrounds a rebellion in Mogadishu, Somalia in the late '80s to the early '90s trapping the Korean envoys.
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wargod-005826 April 2023Once I had the DVD, I couldn't wait to watch it. I installed in my favorite couch, under the thickest blanket ever, switched off laptop and smartphone and hit "Play". Ryoo Seung-Wan is undoubtedly one of my dearest directors in activity.
After a few minutes, I was a bit confused. The characters aren't really well-defined, neither do they have a solid background. It's a bit too chatty with uneffective exposition. And it drags along for too long.
They lack consistency. Some characters, like Keanu Reeves, know kung-fu (or more certainly Taekwondo), still they're beaten by kids. Sometimes one wants the Northmen (no Skarsgaard here) to be rescued and a couple of minutes later, the same guy wants to kick them out and vice-versa.
We expected at some point to see the taxi boy to appear and maybe save them somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd act, but he disappears, despite his friendly vibe.
Also, why did they feel forced to replicate some of the Black Hawk Down photography?
But the 3rd act is extremely solid, really well-made, compelling and so on. Exactly what I expected under my blanket.
A bit of a disappointment, but I needed to watch "City of Violence" thrice to deeply fall in love with it, so maybe... -
tccandler18 October 2021Based on a true story, this political thriller tells the tale of Korean diplomats escaping from the Somalian capital as civil war breaks out. I have to concede that, although well-made, the film is somewhat routine throughout. However, the chase scene in the final third of the movie is supremely thrilling and carries it all to a satisfactory conclusion.
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kluseba2 February 2022Based upon true events, South Korean action-drama blockbuster Escape from Mogadishu is one of the greatest movies of the year 2021 and rightfully represents the country with the best contemporary movie industry at the upcoming Academy Awards. The story revolves around the start of the ongoing civil war in Somalia, as experienced by the embassies of North Korea and South Korea. Both embassies are at conflict and try to bribe the local government in exchange for international support and recognition. As rebels however start a pitiless uprising and even openly menace foreign diplomats, the two embassies have to cooperate with the Italian embassy to find a way out of the country.
This stunning fight for survival convinces on numerous levels. First of all, the locations are absolutely stunning. Since it's still to this day impossible to shoot a movie in Somalia, the South Korean filmmakers opted to recreate Mogadishu in Morocco and the final result looks very authentic. The set designers interviewed numerous diplomats who had worked in several African countries in the early nineties to get the credible sets absolutely right. Lush hotels meet modest embassies and impoverished suburbs as this movie brings to life a country only few people have ever been to.
Up next, the acting performances are absolutely stunning. From corrupt politicians over aggressive police officers to suspicious counselors and diplomatic ambassadors, this movie features a high number of intriguing characters. The excellent actresses and actors from South Korea and abroad bring these characters to life with strong body language and intense dialogues.
The action sequences in this film are also impressive. The war crimes shown on the streets of Somalia are haunting and realistic as they might make even the toughest viewers shiver and cry. The assault of the North Korean embassy is also a memorable scene as the terror of the innocent victims is portrayed very efficiently. The highlight is the car chase sequence in the final third as the North and South Korean convoys try to make it through the city to get to the Italian embassy. This fight for survival includes dangerous collisions, blazing explosions and endless gun shots. This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat in this impressive final third.
This film however also spreads a wonderful message of togetherness, resilience and cooperation. The members of the North and South Korean embassies can only survive if they trust each other and put their political agendas aside. This movie proves that the two countries should eventually reunite and have a bright future together, just as it was the case for East and West Germany in the early nineties.
At the end of the day, Escape from Mogadishu convinces as intense action movie, heartfelt drama and even tense thriller. The acting performances, action sequences and settings are absolutely stunning. The plot is simple but gripping and realistic as it is based upon true events. Those who claim that the movie might be racist due to the lack of Somalian actors and the negative portrayal of the civil war are completely wrong because this film shows the events exactly as they have been experienced by innocent bystanders in the early nineties. South Korean cinema is known for its strong portrayal of realistic situations rather than polishing things in a politically correct way like many Hollywood movies forcefully attempt to do these days. If you are looking for authentic cinema that moves your brain, heart and soul, you should certainly experience this cinematic highlight of the year. -
paul_haakonsen2 June 2022I have to admit that I wasn't really harboring much of any expectations to the 2021 action thriller "Mogadisyu" (aka "Escape from Mogadishu"), as the movie's synopsis just wasn't all that appealing or interesting to me. But I do believe in giving a movie a fair chance, and since I hadn't already seen "Mogadisyu" from writers Ki-Cheol Lee and Seung-Wan Ryu, of course I opted to do so as I had the opportunity here in 2022.
And now as I have seen "Mogadisyu", I will say that director Seung-Wan Ryu managed to put together a rather good and enjoyable movie actually. However, I don't think that "Mogadisyu" is a movie that will easily appeal to every single viewer in the audience, as there are layers of political importance to the storyline. But if you have some insight into the tensions between South Korea and North Korea, as well as some understanding of how embassies and diplomats work, then there are indeed lots of interesting aspects to this movie.
Plus, the movie has a lot of action, and I do put emphasis on a lot. There was a constant wave of action lashing out at the audience, which kept the storyline and narrative on edge here, and it was done in a rather enjoyable and also very realistic manner, which made "Mogadisyu" all the more enjoyable to watch.
The acting performances in "Mogadisyu" were spot on. It was unfamiliar faces for me on the screen, and that is something I enjoy when watching movies, as there are no associations to other movies or previously portrayed characters. And I will say that the entire cast definitely put on good performances in "Mogadisyu", bringing the characters to life in convincing and believable ways.
"Mogadisyu" is a movie that I will say is well-worth watching, but then again I do have a leniency towards Asian cinema, so I might be a bit biased here. But give it a chance, if you get the opportunity.
It should be noted that "Mogadisyu" is more than just an action thriller, because there are also elements of drama in it, especially in ways of human behavior and interaction. And I really enjoyed the ending of the movie, despite of how tragic it actually was. But it does portray a very realistic image of the tension between a nation torn.
My rating of "Mogadisyu" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars. -
Escape from Mogadishu is a well-directed film. There is no shortage of action, nail-biting drama, and emotionally gripping moments in this laudable film.
The twists and turns of escaping and the North-South diplomatic complications are interesting. Everything is good about this movie, the story, the pace, the cinematography, the direction, and the production values. -
ms-7745027 March 2022Best Movie I've watched so far this Year. Imagine they still have the Border (in their Heads) these Days is interesting. At the End no Government will ever change that, if locals want it they need to stand up.
Nice look into the past and present.
Greetings from Germany. -
tonosov-512385 November 2023Filming in the same location as Black Hawk Down, this movie covers approximately the same events just at the onset of the civil war, but in this case, it mostly necessitates what I would like to perceive as a trope in South Korean cinema. The trope being that in the portrayal of both North and South officials, you need to keep a balanced and semi-objective characterization of the sides and lean in on the simple platitude that despite the fact that they live under polar opposite regimes, they are still Korean, and compassion must persevere.
The movie itself takes a little bit too long to get to its Argo-like premise as the plot hops through the events and is filled with the usual tonally miss-matched comedy, where people scream at each other in that haughty way that only the Korean language can allow. The director claims that in the initial script it was much worse, and I'm inclined to believe him.
Despite a few visual annoyances like those completely pointless yet jarring CGI dogs, the anticipated collapse of all and any safeguard for the diplomats has many superb sequences, and the final chase through the streets in cars with makeshift protection is tense and clearly had a lot of effort put into it. The overall use of Morocco pretending to be Somali should also be commended. Unfortunately, I do not feel all that can save a very simple script with characters that don't go beyond archetypes to serve the upper-mentioned trope. -
jueuneee9 January 2022There seems to be many who complain about the movie without knowing why that happened so here are some explanations.
1. This is Somalia! Why aren't the actors from Somalia?
A: Because Somalia is considered as an extremely dangerous county to visit. Due to dangerous situation of Somalia, it is currently forbidden to visit Somalia and even Korean embassy doesn't exist.
Under these circumstances, it was highly improbable to cast somalis for all africans in the movie. In the director interview, he said he wanted to cast more Somali actors and did try but it was impossible.
The director and staff tried to build the set to be as close to what it actually was like back then that they built it as far as 1km so it would seem as realistic as possible.
2. It is silly that the local is speaking Korean but the ambassador's wife speaking back to him in broken english.
A. There were Somali employees working at the embassy at the time and some have worked for a long time. Some of the employees still came to work even after everything began.
It is probable some of them could speak broken Korean. The local man in the movie spoke very broken Korean and so the wife of ambassador spoke back in her best, yet broken english.
They were just trying to be kind to each other by speaking languages the other person could understand better.
3. What's with the car chase? It's ridiculous that only one person died even if there were books and sand bags.
A. As you all know, this movie was based on true story and that true story was even crazier than the movie.
In the actual event, there were no books, sand bags or wooden doors. They had just two Korean flags waving to show these were embassy vehicles. Nothing else was on the car to protect them from gunfire.
After the dangerous car chase, one North Korean died of gun shot wound just before reaching Italian embassy.
4. It's degrading NK and pushing for anti-communism!
A. Personally I don't get where this comment came from but the facts were a bit different from the movie. Truth is.. SK embassy helped NK embassy even more than the movie.- South Korean ambassador met North Koreans at the airport. After dozens of attacks on North Korean embassy, North Koreans were staying at the airport so SK ambassador suggested joining them at the SK embassy.
- Before this encounter, SK and NK embassies didnt really know each other and it was first time for many of them to actually talk to one another.
- There weren't as much tension between NK and SK people during being locked in the embassy for 14 days(not 3 as shown in the movie). They shared their food, made kimchi, and talked. They had their own generator so lack of electricity wasn't really a problem.
- SK didn't lie to Italian embassy. SK convinced Italian ambassador that they cannot leave without their fellow Koreans and Italian ambassador was persuaded.
- When they departed after landing in Kenya, they hugged and shook hands. There weren't any scary government officials coming to collect them.
- NK ambassador did refuse on joining them at the hotel for dinner because he was worried what might happen if they seemed too close.
- NK ambassador reported to Kim Ilsung about their escape, despite the possibility of being punished. However Kim just said it's good that they made back alive and there were no punishments.
Some of these facts were left out because they might seem too over-the-top and exaggeration. Truth was more amazing than the fiction. -
ahmadelnakeeb-1869522 October 2021The film is wonderful in terms of drama and direction..but I hated showing Somalis and Muslims this brutality, many countries have civil wars, but Muslims are not that brutal, they do not kill people just for fun, as mentioned in the movie. I don't know when the world will stop thinking about Arabs and Muslims in this way.
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tkdlifemagazine8 October 2021Escape From Mogadishu is South Korea's Argo. Director Ryoo Seung-wan has masterfully told the dramatic story of the 1990 revolution in Somalia and the impact of the Diplomatic missions of North and South Korea. This Well Go USA release is based upon a series of real events that brought the rival diplomats of a formerly unified country together to save the lives of their women and children through a daring escape.
The film is set in 1990 Somalia as the South Korean government is attempting to garner the essential support of African nations for its bid to become a member of the United Nations. This task was made significantly more challenging due to the concerted efforts of the North Korean government to persuade African nations to block their entry.
Amidst all of the political wrangling between the two countries a brutal civil war breaks out in Somalia, endangering the lives of the diplomats of every nation that maintained a Diplomatic presence there. Black Hawk Down (2001), an American made, award winning film covered a later chapter of the same conflict, and its impact on the American Soldiers there.
The heart and strength of the film surrounds the need of the diplomats of the two separated Koreas to join forces to Escape from Mogadishu, Somalia's Capital city. In this effort, through the brilliant Directing, award worthy acting, and visually gripping cinematography we are immersed in the conflict between a deep seeded mistrust of two nations and the desire of individual human beings to protect their loved ones and fellow citizens. I am not sure how much of the details are true, but the film really shines a light on how easy it is to forget the problems between nations are just that, and even at the highest level of diplomacy, that without our humanity we are lost.
Escape from Mogadishu (2021) is as good a film as you will see this year. There is no shortage of action, nail biting drama, and emotionally gripping moments in this laudable film. While not set in the Shah deposed Iran of the 1970's, this film still reminded me of Argo, the 2021 Oscar winning Best Picture. Both were based on historically dramatic incidents where the filmmakers adeptly told their compelling stories through the experiences of the diplomatic survivors of these respective incidents. Both films are equally Oscar worthy.
Sadly, the film also painfully reminded me of the recent chaos in Kabul as diplomats and citizens attempted to flee Afghanistan, in the midst of its own regime toppling. While the images were starkly similar, the film was made well before the incidents of earlier this Summer; which, somehow, made its accuracy more shocking.
Kim Yoon-seok and Huh Joon-ho play the Somali ambassadors from South and North Korea, respectively. Their ability to convey the fear and mistrust the people of a, once united, country feel towards each other with subtlety and humanity is pivotal to the film's emotional depth. While this film is an action film about Somalia, it is more profoundly a film about the sad divide along the Korean Penninsula.
The entire ensemble cast of this film is praiseworthy; whether playing the North and South Korean Diplomats and their families, the Somalia government soldiers, or the key rebel soldiers. All are in top form and immerse the viewer in a world of chaos, fear , and confusion that is unmatched by the majority of films of the past decade. This entire is a first rate cast.
Escape from Mgadishu is subtitled.
For Taekwondo enthusiasts look out for a key fight scene as the movie kicks into high gear.