Korean and English Poster



Tunnel 터널영화









Plot/Background (No Spoilers)





Tunnel is a 2016 Korean Movie that involves an ordinary working man (Jung-Soo) who is travelling home with a cake for his daughter. He obtains two bottles of water from a gas station after an unexpected accident. Along the way he passes through a tunnel and the tunnel collapses on him and his car while he is in it. The movie focuses on the man, his wife, the emergency crew and government officials all who have their own desires. The only way to get to Jung-Soo is to dig through the debris either from above or from the tunnel entrance. Jung-Soo has a cellphone but the battery is dying and once it's dead he won't have any connection with the outside world. It is a story of survival, bureaucrats, and determination. Will Jung-Soo be saved or will the government scrap the rescue to continue building another tunnel that is held up by the rescue efforts? Will the rescue team and Jung-Soo family succeed? This is tunnel!





Korean Movie Poster

Review (Spoilers)



***It should be noted that this movie was filmed in South Korea and that the language spoken throughout the film is Korean. I have the English version DVD and there are only English subtitles. If you don't like subtitled movies or can't keep up well with subtitles this movie might be hard to follow.***





The movie opens up foreshadowing the disaster as Jung-Soo is at a gas station and the attendant accidentally gives him the wrong amount of gasoline. Jung-Soo is angry but pays and is given two bottles of water for his troubles. This is all the water he has to survive in the tunnel while he is waiting to be rescued. This was a great touch because it showed that even though the attendant messed up initially he potentially ended up saving Jung-Soo's life. Jung-Soo then continues his journey and has a talk with his customer and his wife. Jung-Soo's daughter wants a puppy but Jung-Soo is reluctant to get a puppy. He hangs up and approaches a tunnel. The tunnel collapses while Jung-Soo is in it. This scene is amazing it shows the lights flickering and the fear in Jung-Soo.









Jung-Soo awakens after the tunnel has collapsed in total darkness. However his cellphone works and he is able to call 119 the emergency service in South Korea. This is unusual in many movies as usually cellphones are broken or don't work in disaster movies. The writer of this movie is smart as this allows the victim to converse with both the rescuers and his family. Jung-Soo is told that he will be rescued in a week and to ration his water. This is normal for movies as the main character usually figures out how to ration their supplies to maximize their survival. What is different is that Jung-Soo has a direct line with his wife. He calls his wife and they talk and agree to take their daughter to her grandmothers while the wait his rescue.









The news of the collapsed tunnel spreads across Korea fast and politicians get involved in the situation. The minister and her helpers meet with Jung-Soo's wife and the rescuers and they are determined to save Jung-Soo. This angle is great as it shows the whole country initially is behind the rescue effort to save him. However, the construction of a second tunnel is shut down over worries it will cause the tunnel to collapse more. This sets up the story of a persons life versus a company's lost money. What is more important one person or the building of infrastructure. The scene sets up kind of a good versus evil setting which is injected throughout the rest of the movie. The rescuers are able to go into the tunnel after a failed drone attempt and can reaffirm that Jung-Soo is deep in the tunnel. However the tunnel collapses more and the decision to tunnel from above is also made.









The tunnel continuing to collapse is a well written addition to the story as it seems like Jung-Soo will be saved fast until the tunnel collapses more. This basically traps Jung-Soo in the tunnel and makes his rescue much harder. I like how they added this scene as it added some action and dark comedy to the movie. The vehicle escaping the tunnel is entertaining and thrilling while pushing the plot forward. Jung-Soo is getting more worried and is now realizing he might be trapped for longer than expected. It's great to see the character develop from a overly confident person to a more concerned subconscious person.









As time progresses Jung-Soo discovers a dog outside in the tunnel. He is able to leave his car and crawl to the dog. He then discovers another car with a young female in it. She is pinned under a heavy piece of concrete but still breathing. He helps her and allows her to call her mother and gives her some water too. This adds another great story to the plot as Jung-Soo's isolation is broken now with the addition of another person. The converse with each other and the two build up a sort of relationship together. However, the girl (Mina) is heavily injured and complains about an injury in her side. One day he eventually discovers her lifeless body and freaks out trying to move the concrete. This again shows how the main character is changing and is becoming more reckless and making more bad decisions that could harm him.









At this point the rescuers have drilled through the top of the tunnel and believe Jung-Soo will be saved soon. This is a disaster however as it is discovered that the tunnel plans were not properly done and the rescuers drilled in the wrong spot. This part of the movie is both great and depressing as it changes the movie from a easy rescue to a possible body recovery mission. The whole time rescuers were wasting their time digging in the wrong spot. This basically depresses Jung-Soo and his wife as he has been in the tunnel over 20 days and is weak and hurt. The writer of the movie showed his skill as this made the movie more exciting and made it feel like Jung-Soo's survival isn't a given.









The story line progresses and Jung-Soo calls one last time before his cellphone dies. He feels like giving up but his wife inspires him to keep going and fighting as long as he can for her and their daughter. The rescuers move to the right spot and start digging again. Some time passes and no contact with Jung-Soo is possible so people start to believe he has died. However, some rescuers still have hope in recovering him alive so they keep the hope alive. This is again a good plot line as it adds real life into the mix. The rescuers are getting tired and the shut down construction of the second tunnel is costing millions of dollars. Eventually a rescuer is killed in an accident while there is a meeting with the minister, rescuers, and the construction company.





The family of the killed worker eventually target Jung-Soo's wife as does the construction company. She still has hope but signs an order to stop the rescue effort for Jung-Soo and to start up construction again. This is a sad part of the film as the viewer knows Jung-Soo is alive but will essentially be killed once construction begins again on the second tunnel. The main rescuer goes down the bore tunnel one time against the wishes of everyone else to see is Jung-Soo is alive but the effort is pulled when another worker discovers what he is doing. The second tunnels construction is causing the tunnel to collapse more. When all hope is lost a sign of Jung-Soo is discovered and the rescuers eventually get to him. This is a happy part of the movie as both Jung-Soo and Mina's dog are saved. The happy ending is great but it is not completely perfect as Mina has died and the construction company is cutting costs by cutting safety. The film ends with Jung-Soo driving through another tunnel with his wife reliving his time trapped in the tunnel.





My overall thoughts on the film are positive the story is fleshed out and builds up the characters well. We get to see numerous sides of a rescue including people who value money over personal safety and life. It is an emotional roller coaster with comedy, thrills, and chills. If you like movies that are unique and deal with survival I would recommend this video to you. If you don't like survival and movies with some gore I would pass on this movie.





Video Review with my Daughter:

















How to Watch:





English DVD Art









Also check out some second hand stores and pawn shops as I actually found my copy at a second hand store for two dollars which is an awesome deal for this movie.

This movie can be found at most big box stores in Canada and the USA. I is also available on Netflix (September 2018) currently at this time. It is subtitled in English and a few other languages so make sure the version you buy is subtitled in a language you understand.