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Laughing through political chaos
Isn't it fascinating when a movie ends up becoming one of your most favourites, despite having zero expectations prior watching it? That's Good News to me, for it has become one of the best movies I've watched this year.
Good News is about a hijacking story from 1970. Members of the the Red Army Faction hijacked a commercial aircraft and demanded that the flight be rerouted to Pyongyang. Japan, South Korea, and the US deploy several strategies in order to hijack a radio signal from the airplane. The main characters, "Nobody", a mysterious man and the South Korean Seo Go Myung, work for South Korea and they're trying to bring the airplane to their country.
Before I watched Good News, I didn't have a lot of expectations. I was interested to watch it after learning that Hong Kyung and Sul Kyung Gu were in it and the story seemed interesting enough. But apart from that, I went blindly into it. I didn't even watch the trailer and I overall had a very vague impression of the story. Looking back at it, I think I made the right decision.
On the surface, Good News might appear to be a typical Korean thriller based on real events. I was aware of the fact that the movie was based on a real hijacking event, therefore I expected it to be a sort of Hijack: 1981 film. But the film quickly proved me wrong in the best way possible.
I didn't foresee that instead of a serious, historical thriller I would watch a satirical political movie, with plenty of humor. The jokes were spot on and the dialogues and interactions between the characters added more layers to the absurd events. The comedy never felt forced and the jokes flew by smoothly. I genuinely did not expect to have as much fun as I did, I laughed so hard during some scenes to the point I could feel my abs burning!
What I really liked with this film is that it poked fun at everyone. No one was excluded from its sharp humor and satire, be it South or North Korea, Japan, US, communists, marxists etc. Instead of taking sides and making fun of a specific country or political ideology, Good News portrays each side in the most bizarre and laughable way. It was a very bold and daring approach but the writers pulled it off magnificently.
Comedy and history were blended together, resulting in an overall light-hearted movie. But the message never got lost in translation (figuratively and metaphorically). Through its excessive and witty humour, Good News' ultimate goal is to show the hypocrisy of politicians and make fun of their thirst for power. While the story is centered around a hijacking event, it's not the hijackers who get framed as the villains. Throughout the whole movie, we observe how agencies in South and North Korea and Japan move their pawns in order to benefit from the hijack. Politicians from both sides claim that the ultimate goal is to save the lives of the passengers. But underneath the surface, it becomes clear that their intentions are not as humanitarian as they seem.
Corruption, greed, lies, manipulation...These are only a few of the defying traits of people in power. We see how men in powerful positions try to infiltrate people's minds for their own benefit. In order to do so, they utilize three aspects, as stated by "Nobody": real events that happened, a little bit of creativity and the willingness to suspend disbelief. Once you give people something to be afraid of, things are bound to escalate rapidly. Fear, anger and mistrust are sufficient tools at the hands of politicians, especially if they want to ensure their power and influence.
Apart from the well-written script, the film had excellent cinematography and editing. There were many great transitions and the way some scenes were filled enhanced the comedic elements. I especially liked the scenes that took place in Go Myeong's imagination, they were so hilarious and I loved how they were made.
Of course a good story needs a good cast to elevate it. Good News is one of this type of movies where every actor nailed their roles. There wasn't a single moment where I thought that an actor had been a miscast, everyone did their part so well. The interactions between the characters never felt forced and all performances managed to leave a lingering impression on me, with one way or another.
I'll start with Sul Kyung Gu, whom I already knew from The Merciless, Kill Bok Soon, Mantis and Memoir of a murderer. Good News is the fourth project with the director Byun Sung Hyun and once again, Kyung Gu didn't disappoint. He was so good as the mysterious and quirky "Nobody". He carried himself with the required type of arrogance and cleverness. "Nobody" followed orders but he also set up his own rules. Despite his comedic parts, Kyung Gu's performance added more depths to his character through his body language and tone, especially after "Nobody" 's backstory became known. It was one of my most favourite Kyung Gu's roles and I always looked forward to see him.
Ryu Seung Bum was amazing as Park Sang Hyeon, the head of KCIA. He was charming, confident and meticulous. A politician who was after power and who didn't hesitate to manipulate other people, like Go Myung, in order to establish his dominance. Even though the character was unlikeable for the most part, both the writing and Seung Bum's performance made it impossible to look away when Sang Hyeon appeared on screen. It was fascinating watching him speak and act all so full of himself, as if he knew that he would eventually have his way around.
Another actor who caught my attention was Show Kasamaru as the leader of the Red Army Faction. He played the comedic parts very naturally and he was very charismatic. Despite his funny scenes, he was equally good in the more dramatic parts too, making the viewers sympathise a little with him or at least try to understand his goal.
Other remarkable performances were Kim Sung Oh's, who has started becoming one of my most favourite actors and Takayuki Yamada's. Both of them nailed their parts and they were very fun to look at. A very unexpected yet welcome surprise was Jeon Do Yeon's cameo, she ate the 10 minutes of screen time she had like a queen.
But the gem of this movie was undoubtedly Hong Kyung. I doubt that I can do justice to his performance by describing it in mere words. He was so versatile in this role. He didn't just portray Go Myung, he transformed into him. He was absolutely captivating in the funny parts but he was also excellent in the more dramatic scenes, especially during the final act. I could feel Go Myung's emotions pour out of Hong Kyung. His confusion andannoyance at "Nobody's" antics, his fear towards his superiors, his empathy towards the passengers and his desperation to save them, his ambition to be recognised. He was a very complex character who underwent a big development and to whom I became attached until the end of the film. All thanks to Hong Kyung's spectacular performance.
Good News is not just a movie that covers a hijacking event. It's a political comedy that reminds us of the hypocrisy of politicians. It's about following orders and taking matters into your own hands. Ambition over ethics. And above all, it's a reminder of all the untold heroes out there who will never get recognised for their contributions. By the end of the movie, I found myself in deep thoughts, thinking about all the "Nobodies" out there who offer their service to powerful people, only to see their names being ignored by history and letting others take the credit. How far are people willing to go in the name of duty and power? And at the end of the day, does it matter if you get recognised for your actions as long as you're helping others unconditionally? These are only some of the questions the film attempts to answer.
The only reason the film doesn't get a 10 is that during the middle part, there were some scenes that felt like fillers or that didn't kept me interested. Additionally, while the combination of humor and political commentary was done masterfully, I think that the film would have benefited even more from some more "serious" scenes, without any comedic interruptions. Nevertheless, the movie never lost its spark and until the last second, it had my undivided attention.
Good News is by far one of the best movies I've watched this year. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did and I certainly did not expect it to handle so many important topics regarding politics. I couldn't recommend it enough, even if you're not a fan of this genre allow yourselves to give it a try. You will not forget it.
Good News is about a hijacking story from 1970. Members of the the Red Army Faction hijacked a commercial aircraft and demanded that the flight be rerouted to Pyongyang. Japan, South Korea, and the US deploy several strategies in order to hijack a radio signal from the airplane. The main characters, "Nobody", a mysterious man and the South Korean Seo Go Myung, work for South Korea and they're trying to bring the airplane to their country.
Before I watched Good News, I didn't have a lot of expectations. I was interested to watch it after learning that Hong Kyung and Sul Kyung Gu were in it and the story seemed interesting enough. But apart from that, I went blindly into it. I didn't even watch the trailer and I overall had a very vague impression of the story. Looking back at it, I think I made the right decision.
On the surface, Good News might appear to be a typical Korean thriller based on real events. I was aware of the fact that the movie was based on a real hijacking event, therefore I expected it to be a sort of Hijack: 1981 film. But the film quickly proved me wrong in the best way possible.
I didn't foresee that instead of a serious, historical thriller I would watch a satirical political movie, with plenty of humor. The jokes were spot on and the dialogues and interactions between the characters added more layers to the absurd events. The comedy never felt forced and the jokes flew by smoothly. I genuinely did not expect to have as much fun as I did, I laughed so hard during some scenes to the point I could feel my abs burning!
What I really liked with this film is that it poked fun at everyone. No one was excluded from its sharp humor and satire, be it South or North Korea, Japan, US, communists, marxists etc. Instead of taking sides and making fun of a specific country or political ideology, Good News portrays each side in the most bizarre and laughable way. It was a very bold and daring approach but the writers pulled it off magnificently.
Comedy and history were blended together, resulting in an overall light-hearted movie. But the message never got lost in translation (figuratively and metaphorically). Through its excessive and witty humour, Good News' ultimate goal is to show the hypocrisy of politicians and make fun of their thirst for power. While the story is centered around a hijacking event, it's not the hijackers who get framed as the villains. Throughout the whole movie, we observe how agencies in South and North Korea and Japan move their pawns in order to benefit from the hijack. Politicians from both sides claim that the ultimate goal is to save the lives of the passengers. But underneath the surface, it becomes clear that their intentions are not as humanitarian as they seem.
Corruption, greed, lies, manipulation...These are only a few of the defying traits of people in power. We see how men in powerful positions try to infiltrate people's minds for their own benefit. In order to do so, they utilize three aspects, as stated by "Nobody": real events that happened, a little bit of creativity and the willingness to suspend disbelief. Once you give people something to be afraid of, things are bound to escalate rapidly. Fear, anger and mistrust are sufficient tools at the hands of politicians, especially if they want to ensure their power and influence.
Apart from the well-written script, the film had excellent cinematography and editing. There were many great transitions and the way some scenes were filled enhanced the comedic elements. I especially liked the scenes that took place in Go Myeong's imagination, they were so hilarious and I loved how they were made.
Of course a good story needs a good cast to elevate it. Good News is one of this type of movies where every actor nailed their roles. There wasn't a single moment where I thought that an actor had been a miscast, everyone did their part so well. The interactions between the characters never felt forced and all performances managed to leave a lingering impression on me, with one way or another.
I'll start with Sul Kyung Gu, whom I already knew from The Merciless, Kill Bok Soon, Mantis and Memoir of a murderer. Good News is the fourth project with the director Byun Sung Hyun and once again, Kyung Gu didn't disappoint. He was so good as the mysterious and quirky "Nobody". He carried himself with the required type of arrogance and cleverness. "Nobody" followed orders but he also set up his own rules. Despite his comedic parts, Kyung Gu's performance added more depths to his character through his body language and tone, especially after "Nobody" 's backstory became known. It was one of my most favourite Kyung Gu's roles and I always looked forward to see him.
Ryu Seung Bum was amazing as Park Sang Hyeon, the head of KCIA. He was charming, confident and meticulous. A politician who was after power and who didn't hesitate to manipulate other people, like Go Myung, in order to establish his dominance. Even though the character was unlikeable for the most part, both the writing and Seung Bum's performance made it impossible to look away when Sang Hyeon appeared on screen. It was fascinating watching him speak and act all so full of himself, as if he knew that he would eventually have his way around.
Another actor who caught my attention was Show Kasamaru as the leader of the Red Army Faction. He played the comedic parts very naturally and he was very charismatic. Despite his funny scenes, he was equally good in the more dramatic parts too, making the viewers sympathise a little with him or at least try to understand his goal.
Other remarkable performances were Kim Sung Oh's, who has started becoming one of my most favourite actors and Takayuki Yamada's. Both of them nailed their parts and they were very fun to look at. A very unexpected yet welcome surprise was Jeon Do Yeon's cameo, she ate the 10 minutes of screen time she had like a queen.
But the gem of this movie was undoubtedly Hong Kyung. I doubt that I can do justice to his performance by describing it in mere words. He was so versatile in this role. He didn't just portray Go Myung, he transformed into him. He was absolutely captivating in the funny parts but he was also excellent in the more dramatic scenes, especially during the final act. I could feel Go Myung's emotions pour out of Hong Kyung. His confusion andannoyance at "Nobody's" antics, his fear towards his superiors, his empathy towards the passengers and his desperation to save them, his ambition to be recognised. He was a very complex character who underwent a big development and to whom I became attached until the end of the film. All thanks to Hong Kyung's spectacular performance.
Good News is not just a movie that covers a hijacking event. It's a political comedy that reminds us of the hypocrisy of politicians. It's about following orders and taking matters into your own hands. Ambition over ethics. And above all, it's a reminder of all the untold heroes out there who will never get recognised for their contributions. By the end of the movie, I found myself in deep thoughts, thinking about all the "Nobodies" out there who offer their service to powerful people, only to see their names being ignored by history and letting others take the credit. How far are people willing to go in the name of duty and power? And at the end of the day, does it matter if you get recognised for your actions as long as you're helping others unconditionally? These are only some of the questions the film attempts to answer.
The only reason the film doesn't get a 10 is that during the middle part, there were some scenes that felt like fillers or that didn't kept me interested. Additionally, while the combination of humor and political commentary was done masterfully, I think that the film would have benefited even more from some more "serious" scenes, without any comedic interruptions. Nevertheless, the movie never lost its spark and until the last second, it had my undivided attention.
Good News is by far one of the best movies I've watched this year. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did and I certainly did not expect it to handle so many important topics regarding politics. I couldn't recommend it enough, even if you're not a fan of this genre allow yourselves to give it a try. You will not forget it.
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