Review | Escape from Mogadishu movie review: Korean diplomats in peril in Somalia-set action thriller by The Battleship Island director Ryoo Seung-wan
- Set in late 1990, the film follows ambassadors from both North and South Korea in Somalia who are forced into an uneasy alliance during outbreaks of violence
- Despite thrills and a heart-stopping climax, the film lacks significant commentary on anything unfolding on screen and only broadly addresses the Korea conflict
3/5 stars
Ryoo Seung-wan’s new white-knuckle thriller Escape from Mogadishu does little to expand on this image of a violently destabilised nation, opting instead, much like its predecessors, to use the country merely as an exotic backdrop for a story about Koreans addressing their own domestic troubles.
Filmed entirely on location in Morocco, where Ridley Scott also shot his 2001 military thriller, this is nevertheless an ambitious undertaking in its own right.
Set in late 1990, the film follows the ambassadors from both North and South Korea in their efforts to lobby Somali President Siad Barre for their countries’ admission to the United Nations.
When their talks are interrupted by outbreaks of guerilla violence, both diplomatic factions find themselves cut off from support and forced into an uneasy alliance as they attempt to evacuate their respective embassies.