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The Tower

Original title: Ta-weo
  • 2012
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
7.2K
YOUR RATING
Sul Kyung-gu, Son Ye-jin, and Kim Sang-kyung in The Tower (2012)
A Christmas Eve party at a luxury residential building takes a horrific turn when a fire breaks out.
Play trailer1:34
2 Videos
33 Photos
KoreanActionDramaThriller

A Christmas Eve party at a luxury residential building takes a horrific turn when a fire breaks out.A Christmas Eve party at a luxury residential building takes a horrific turn when a fire breaks out.A Christmas Eve party at a luxury residential building takes a horrific turn when a fire breaks out.

  • Director
    • Kim Ji-hoon
  • Writers
    • Sang-don Kim
    • Kim Ji-hoon
    • Yoo Yeong-ah
  • Stars
    • Kim Sang-kyung
    • Sul Kyung-gu
    • Son Ye-jin
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    7.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Kim Ji-hoon
    • Writers
      • Sang-don Kim
      • Kim Ji-hoon
      • Yoo Yeong-ah
    • Stars
      • Kim Sang-kyung
      • Sul Kyung-gu
      • Son Ye-jin
    • 50User reviews
    • 38Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination total

    Videos2

    Theatrical Version
    Trailer 1:34
    Theatrical Version
    The Tower
    Trailer 1:35
    The Tower
    The Tower
    Trailer 1:35
    The Tower

    Photos33

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    + 27
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    Top Cast61

    Edit
    Kim Sang-kyung
    Kim Sang-kyung
    • Lee Dae-ho
    Sul Kyung-gu
    Sul Kyung-gu
    • Captain Kang Young-ki
    Son Ye-jin
    Son Ye-jin
    • Seo Yoon-hee
    Kim In-kwon
    Kim In-kwon
    • Sergeant Oh Byung-man
    Ahn Sung-ki
    Ahn Sung-ki
    • Yeouido Fire Station Chief
    Song Jae-ho
    Song Jae-ho
    • Mr. Yoon - Old Man
    Lee Joo-Sil
    Lee Joo-Sil
    • Mrs. Jung - Mr. Yoon's Friend
    • (as Ju-shil Lee)
    Lee Han-wi
    • Mr. Kim - Church Elder
    Kwon Tae-won
    Kwon Tae-won
    • Fire Commissioner Jang
    Jeon Guk-hyang
    Jeon Guk-hyang
    • Ae-ja
    Jeong In-gi
    Jeong In-gi
    • Cha - Safety Section Head
    Cha In-pyo
    Cha In-pyo
    • President Jo
    Jeon Bae-soo
    Jeon Bae-soo
    • Young-cheol - The Cook
    Jun-seo Park
    • Aide
    Kim Sung-oh
    Kim Sung-oh
    • In-geon
    Min-Young
    • Nam-ok - Pregnant Woman
    Oh Jin-Ha
    • Min-jeong - The Receptionist
    Do Ji-han
    • Lee Seon-woo
    • Director
      • Kim Ji-hoon
    • Writers
      • Sang-don Kim
      • Kim Ji-hoon
      • Yoo Yeong-ah
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews50

    6.57.2K
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    Featured reviews

    7alexvojacek

    Tower Inferno Korean Style

    Is this a copy of Tower Inferno, most definitely.

    Is worse?. Actually no, it is better.

    The Tower Inferno was one of my favorites disaster movies and not because of the movie itself but for the topic at hand. I always had an eerie feeling of big tower buildings as much as planes. Human made things in such an impressive scale can fail and knowing technology all to well, this is a disaster scenery i'm usually more scared of.

    The Tower inferno was fun but tedious, The Tower is fun and exciting.

    IT is actually quite a shock, because the movie was incredible well directed, the first act was all too happy and did a good job in presenting the characters, the incident take its time to happen and this is a very good thing because it built suspense.

    But...

    By the time it happens, this movie is a thrill ride, it will not stop and it will keep you guessing what else is gonna fail, the scenery was breathtaking, the effects are incredible good, this is a big production and Koreans now show they can manage to do big movies like Hollywood, and as much fun as them.

    What I most like about this one is the emphasis on the fireman, I always found that profession to be the most honorable of all and this is very well displayed through the movie, they are respected, honored and put into a incredible good light through the movie.

    In contrast to American movies, the hero is not saving the day to be a hero, he does not wave flags like Americans, they just do their jobs, it is amazing how good this was captured on screen.

    The main leads all do their job very well and although there are some sentimental parts like in the majority of Korean movies, they are handled all too well and they just work.

    This movie is amazing, it has all the ingredients of the disaster movies, the director really did a superb job and I am sure you will have lots of fun with it.

    It is a copy of The Tower Inferno?, well, yes ! for the most part... SO WHAT?

    Americans do tons of re-re-remakes over and over again and nobody complains, it's not fair to do this to the Koreans, they managed to do a better Tower Inferno, by a long margin.

    Keep up the good work! Now I am incredible excited about the next production coming out of Korean Soil !

    Love it!
    7Leofwine_draca

    Korean version of The Towering Inferno, and nearly as fun

    THE TOWER is nothing more than a modern-day remake of the Irwin Allen disaster classic THE TOWERING INFERNO, updating the storyline with modern technology and modern effects but dealing with exactly the same type of logistical intrigue and scared survivors drama. It's slightly melodramatic, as is the case with a lot of Asian cinema, but it's also highly efficient with it. It may not be up there with the best of the genre, but it's better than the comparable likes of AFTERSHOCK and THE SINKING OF JAPAN.

    The narrative takes on a familiar construction with the first half hour building the characters before letting rip with a major accident, then working its way through a series of alternative disaster scenarios. Survivors are fried, dropped, blown up and put into various perilous situations, and it's all handled with more than a modicum of efficiency by director Kim Ji-hoon. It's also well paced and technically efficient, with decent CGI adding to the peril and some well-placed comic relief offsetting the more dramatic moments.

    Is THE TOWER original? Not a jot. Is it as good as the original? Not by a long shot. Is it entertaining? Oh yes. It may be no classic, but as modern disaster cinema goes this is one of the better ones you'll find out there.
    vickya-401-327792

    Very entertaining and made me cry

    I found it really good, always love watching foreign movies, and it made me cry so much at the end!!
    8ebossert

    This rip-off of "The Towering Inferno" (1974) is a big improvement over this director's last film.

    This director's previous film was the poorly made yet watchable trash monster movie entitled "Sector 7" (2011). "The Tower" (2012) is a big improvement in terms of overall quality.

    If this isn't an official remake of "The Towering Inferno" (1974), it probably should have been. There are quite a few differences, but the similarities are too numerous to be a coincidence. A Christmas Eve party at a luxury residential building takes a horrific turn when a fire breaks out. The opening half hour has some hit-or-miss humor, but the characters are given color. The incident that causes the fire is unexpected and cool. The terror and panic that quickly follows is also well staged. Thereafter, events move at breakneck speed and there are a number of dangerous, thrilling moments (some of which involve side effects of the fire instead of the fire itself). Direction is impressive and exciting.

    In fact, I'd go so far as to say that "The Tower" is a better and more entertaining film than "The Towering Inferno." The 1974 film was good but overlong and oddly tedious. This 2012 film has better pacing and more excitement. However, I would recommend watching them back-to-back for a fun, firey evening!
    70U

    amazing movie, perfect.

    If your looking for a good action pack, dramatic movies that keeps you on the edge of your seat, then this the right movie for you. Once you get past the character building, setting the mood, at the beginning the movie is magic.

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    Related interests

    Choi Min-sik in Oldboy (2003)
    Korean
    Bruce Willis and Taniel in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The production team built 26 different sets to create the various spaces in the fictional 108-story high-rise building Tower Sky such as the Chinese restaurant and the pedestrian overpass between the two blocks.

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    FAQ18

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 11, 2013 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • South Korea
    • Official sites
      • Official site (Japan)
      • Official site (South Korea)
    • Languages
      • Korean
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Tháp Lửa
    • Filming locations
      • Seoul, South Korea
    • Production company
      • CJ Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $36,531,605
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 1m(121 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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