Review | Exit film review: Cho Jung-seok, Yoona in skyscraper-set action comedy
- This tale about a gas attack in Seoul defies logic, and the action takes a back seat to the comedy
- Director Lee Sang-geun tries for a laugh at every turn, which destroys any sense of danger
2.5/5 stars
A deadly gas attack leaves thousands stranded in skyscrapers across Seoul in Exit, the debut feature by writer-director Lee Sang-geun. The action comedy weaves a hugely convoluted scenario, and audiences will have to decide very early on whether to willingly disregard logic and just go with it, or strap in for an exasperating couple of hours.
The disaster inspires unemployed thirty-something Yong-nam (Cho Jung-seok, Hit-and-Run Squad ) to finally prove his mettle and save the day when his entire family, assembled for his mother’s 70th birthday, is trapped in a downtown banquet hall.
As the corrosive cloud seeps into the building, adept mountain climbers Yong-nam and Eui-ju (former Girls’ Generation idol Yoona, Confidential Assignment ), the restaurant’s duty manager, must scale the outside and help the survivors onto the roof, and safety.
Yong-nam’s tragic backstory, the motivations behind the attack itself, and the media’s curious response to it, are just a few of the key narrative footholds that director Lee allows to fall by the wayside.
The premise stems from a legitimate social concern, that qualified graduates across Korea are failing to secure gainful employment, which is putting a financial and emotional strain on their families.
