Bogota: City of the Lost

I like Song Joong-Ki - he is a good actor in the right vehicle - he can do romance and comedy and drama.

He was alright in this - it just didn't call on his acting skills. He was simply called upon to play it tough and intelligent - which he did. What amused me was the fact that he seemed to look younger the older he got.

He arrives with his family in Bogota because his father is useless and has landed them in unpayable debt. Asian parents seem to have no conscience about living off their children.

Guk-Hui soon finds favour with Captain Park who is a Korean immigrant who has risen in the local criminal fraternity. There is a lot of dialogue about trust - nobody trusts each other. Their business is smuggling fake goods to sell in local markets - it seems all Korean immigrants sell fake goods and all Colombian officials and military can be bribed - until they can't.

The story continues with various criminal rivalries which culminate in an assassination attempt on our hero which has a surprising result. Of course the villain is pretty obvious to fans of this genre.

I quite enjoyed it - but it does not sit well with South Korean actors - it's just too familiar fare from Hollywood I suppose.

The ending was as expected. We have seen similar many time before.

The stars are for Song Joong-Ki.

I had high hopes for this film, especially since I've been a fan of recent Korean movies and their directors. Unfortunately, Bogotá: City of the Lost tries too hard to be stylish but falls flat in execution.

The protagonist, Cookie, is simply unconvincing. His rapid rise to the top in just seven or eight years-surpassing bosses who have ruled for decades, like Uncle-feels unrealistic. He doesn't display any remarkable intelligence, bravery, or leadership skills that justify his success. In fact, he often comes across as foolish, like when he grabs two pieces of underwear to prove his loyalty-a gesture that failed to evoke any emotional impact.

His unwavering respect for his father also feels undeserved. This is a man who abandoned him in Bogotá, later became a gambler, and even stole his son's money, knowing it could cost him his life. If he was that desperate, he should have considered other options instead of putting his son in danger. Cookie's devotion to such a father is baffling and unearned.

The chase scene where Cookie pursues the woman and his father after they steal his money is particularly weak. Korean cinema has evolved significantly, but action sequences-especially car chases-still lag behind Hollywood by at least 20 years. The scene was clumsy and lacked tension, making it almost laughable.

Ultimately, the film's biggest issue may not just be the genre itself but the casting and direction. Neither the lead actor nor the director seemed capable of delivering the depth and intensity needed to make this story believable. While Korean films have made great strides in storytelling, Bogotá: City of the Lost is a step backward in action filmmaking.

Filming was completed in 2021 and released in 2025. Many things have changed, with OTT platforms ruling the current entertainment trend. Viewers are watching different movies with different subjects from different countries. One of those countries is South Korea. It is a care of the address of new contents, and the Bogota movie came from it. It's a new attempt in SK movies taking the subject of immigrants lives.

It's a story about a person establishing his legacy in a place with no guarantees for his life. The story follows how the main character is shaped into a fearless guy and what the events lead to that make him change his fate from an immigrant guy to the person who controls the smuggling business. The core story is routine: The main character starts his life from the bottom and reaches the top in illegal business by taking down one by one those who are getting in his way . But the highlights of the movie are the acting, 90's sets, and art. Coming to the acting, every actor is given their best. Song Joong-ki again delivered his best; his transformation from a 22-year-old guy to the mid-30s is a remarkable role in his filmography. Really loved his raw character and realistic acting in Guk Hee's role.

The 90's art makes a good impression on the movie, like cars and costumes of 90's Colombia. The music soundtrack is okay. Now see where the movie struggled to get into the hit mark. The story has full potential to make this movie a great movie. But it looks like the director and writer failed to utilize it for the best. Also, the story narration is great, but again, the failure part creates the depth of the characters, except for Song Joong-ki & Lee Hee Joon; other characters are far away from this. It would be the best movie if the director and writer put a little more focus on creating emotional development.

Overall a worthy movie to watch & Song Joong-ki will impress you.

Great locations to visit, bad and poor story. Good production, magnificent locations (you must visit this city at sometime in your life)... but what a bad story, terrible, to tell this type of stories of corruption, smuggling, crime and evil, it could have been told anywhere else in the world, even in South Korea itself. The only real danger in Colombia is that you come here and you don't want to leave. It's a wonderful country and its people are extraordinary. That's the only reality and not what is shown and said in this film. Just ask the millions of tourists who come here throughout the year.

There are lots of good korean and gangsters movies, but bogota isn't one of them. The plot about a bunch of koreans smuggling clothes and accessories to columbia, which is flat and empty. The twists were old and predictable, the character development is awkward and illogical, lacking the charisma to carry the story. The ending again is a let down leading to nowhere, kind of pointless and failing to wrap up the movie as to what happen to the character afterwards. The movie lacks an interesting plot or thrill, the acting was as well mediocre. All in all this movie is forgettable I suggest watching something better.