Unlocked

South-Korean cinema, still one of my favourites since awhile now. They just manage to release some really good movies, unlike their neighbouring countries that rarely bring us decent movies. No overacting with the South-Koreans which is quite rare with Asian actors. Writer/director Kim Tae-joon had the good idea making a crime/thriller about our usage of our smartphones, something a lot of people are just addicted to. You could not have made this movie a couple decades ago, as everybody would have seen it as a sci-fi but nowadays it looks pretty realistic. Certainly the youth that feel the need and urge to share their complete life with the rest of the world, until they will encounter an evil person like in this movie. Good acting, good storytelling with a bit of mystery, and good cinematography, definitely worth a watch.

A young woman's phone is hacked with destructive consequences. Such as for many young adults, the most important aspects of her social, business, and private life are inseparable from her cell phone.

After someone returns her lost phone, she takes it to a cell phone shop for a broken screen repair and makes a big mistake of writing her password on a piece of paper when the shop owner requests it. Obviously, you don't need to give your password to get your screen replaced. Even if it is required, you should only unlock your phone without giving away your password. And never take your phone to an unauthorized dealer.

The shop owner jail-breaks the phone and side-loads the spying software which allows him to see her through her phone's camera and mirrors her phone screen onto one of his phones. He watches her every move and records all her calls.

The acting is great, however, the script is disappointing in the 2nd half. Particularly the dialog between the two police officers is ridiculous. The way they handle the case is so unlikely, unreasonable, and plain stupid that their actions cause irreparable harm to the plot. It literally drops icy cold water on the face and disconnects the viewer from the story.

The plot had so much to offer. If the police handling of the case would have not been written so dumb, the film could have been much more enjoyable.

It's a cybercrime thriller based on book.

Premise is promising, antagonist is quite eerie but then film didn't explore much and didn't offer more promising thrills after a point.

It's a cautionary tale, rather ominous film which tells possible dangers if you lose your smartphone. It tells how easily any smart psychopath can use your smartphone and ruin your life.

Performances are good specially Si-wan, (he is playing back to back as creepy antagonist), became his forte. His character became one dimensional.

In many Korean movies, cops are having low IQs, don't know why 😅

After a point, movie became bland than what I expected, it could have been better.

Storyline 1: Girl loses her phone. Weirdo finds phone, installs spyware and proceeds to destroy girl's life.

Storyline 2: A body has been found on a mountaintop. Detective thinks his runaway son might be involved. With a bit more investigating, more bodies are found. Yep. We've got a serial killer.

IMO, South Korea has found a niche in producing quality thrillers. With films like Oldboy (2003), I Saw the Devil (2010), Blood and Ties (2013) and The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil (2019), there's a nice collection of films that can keep you on the edge of your seat. Each has a special something that pushes it into an above average watch. It could be the actors portraying their characters, the story itself or the way the film progresses but each film has a little something extra that makes you lean back after watching it and say, "That was good." While I didn't have that moment at the end of this, it was still a decent watch.

The story is somewhat cliché and predictable. It was lacking a true sense of drama and thrill. The actors delivered good performances but they all failed to reach above and beyond. The stand out, for me, would have to be our weirdo. There's something about the smug, arrogant narcissist that gets under my skin and keeps me hooked simply because I want to see this guy get what's coming to him. That's what really kept me interested.

It fails to be driven by a sense of vengeance like what is seen in I Saw the Devil (2010), the urgent thrill of something like The Chaser (2008) or the strategy and action one finds in The Divine Move (2014) but it is an okay watch for a weeknight on the couch. If that's what you are looking for, check it out.

New Korean content on Netflix, Unlocked, is an interesting and thought provoking movie about being heavily consumed by smartphones these days. While this is not the first movie to tackle this subject, it did a good job in delivering a realistic wake up call about the dangers of social media without any sugarcoating.

The pacing was good and the story delivered an unexpected twist in the end. It was suspenseful, it was urgent, and it was generally well made. Si-wan as the antagonist was convincing, although I felt that the thrill could have been more given it's genre. If you're looking for a thrilling watch instead of a bubbly rom-com this February, Unlocked is one to turn your attention to.

My Rating : 7/10.