[비즈한국] When a director and an actor work together on more than two projects, they are often immediately labeled as a 'persona.' This marks the fourth collaboration between director Byun Sung-hyun and actor Sol Kyung-gu. Starting with 'The Merciless,' they moved through 'Kingmaker' and 'Kill Boksoon,' and have now returned with 'Good News.' Director Byun, who once famously said he wanted to "straighten Sol Kyung-gu out" by showcasing him in a sharp suit in 'The Merciless,' has delightfully rumpled him up again for 'Good News.' Their fourth encounter is, once again, 'Good, Good, Good.'
'Good News' is set in the 1970s and is inspired by the true story of the Japan Airlines Yodo-go hijacking. The incident begins when nine terrorists, calling themselves the Communist League Red Army Faction, hijack a plane carrying over 130 passengers and crew in mid-air, intending to head to Pyongyang. While it is natural for the Japanese government to try to stop the plane from reaching Pyongyang, the stakes are raised when Park Sang-hyun (Ryoo Seung-bum), head of the South Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), intervenes in hopes of solving the problem to win favor with the President.
To carry out the mission set by KCIA Director Sang-hyun—to get the hijacked plane to land in South Korea at any cost—the protagonists, "Nobody" (Sol Kyung-gu) and elite Air Force Lieutenant Seo Go-myung (Hong Kyung), take the stage. Seo Go-myung’s idea is to trick the hijackers into believing Gimpo Airport is Pyongyang, ensuring the plane lands there. Will this bold lie actually work? From the very beginning of the film, the witty banter between "Nobody’s" slick tongue and Seo Go-myung’s sharp responses keeps the audience hooked, and watching the chaotic journey of how they resolve the incident and what their ultimate fate will be is a treat in itself.
Despite the tense situation of a plane hijacking, the process of resolving it is essentially a minefield of laughs. Although it draws from a true story, the film strictly follows the formula of a black comedy. The satire sprinkled throughout is sharp, but because of the directing that playfully vacillates between slapstick and off-beat timing, you can't help but laugh. Therefore, the key is how deeply you fall into director Byun’s stylish, mesmerizing direction and the kitschy charm of the acting ensemble that plays along. There is no need to worry. If you open your eyes and ears and enter the world the director and actors have laid out, you will naturally be led along. At times, the actors even break the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience. Even though it is a film, the feeling that this is a riotous piece of theater or a traditional folk play is intense.
Sol Kyung-gu confirms his worth once again. While echoes of the old Kang Chul-joong or Han Jae-ho from 'The Merciless' occasionally surface in the mysterious fixer "Nobody," he is so vivid here that, for the time being, you’ll only be able to think of him in that baseball cap. Hong Kyung, considered one of the next-generation actors to lead Korean cinema, skillfully navigates the many faces of Seo Go-myung, whose operation is fueled by ambition. While the two-top performance of Sol Kyung-gu and Hong Kyung holds the center, the diverse laughter is sustained by the ensemble of various actors. Ryoo Seung-bum, playing the KCIA Director Sang-hyun with a slippery Chungcheong-do dialect, is downright captivating, and you can’t help but marvel at the performances of actors like Park Hae-soo, Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Sung-oh, Choi Deok-moon, Yoon Kyung-ho, Hyun Bong-sik, Park Young-gyu, Kim Jong-soo, Jeon Bae-soo, and Park Ji-hwan as they trade lines. The usage of Japanese actors such as Takayuki Yamada as the Deputy Minister of Transport and Kippei Shiina as the pilot is also excellent.
Beginning with a quote(?) from Truman Shade, the film keeps the 136-minute runtime tightly paced, constantly unfolding what is true and what is false. Where will you believe, and what will you trust? One thing is certain: those who were enchanted by director Byun Sung-hyun’s previous works will find this film incredibly delicious. It’s already got me looking forward to Byun’s next project—the fifth meeting between Byun Sung-hyun and Sol Kyung-gu.
'Good News,' which is already drawing anticipation as it has been invited to the Busan International Film Festival and the non-competitive section of the Toronto International Film Festival, will be released on Netflix on October 17. When 'Uprising' was released, I wrote that I hoped it would be the first Netflix Original Korean film to capture both popularity and artistic quality, and it looks like 'Good News' has taken that a step further.
Rating ★★★★
Like the 'Ashita no Joe' snippet in the film, it is an ambitious, riotous play by Byun Sung-hyun that burns everything away until it's pure white.
Who is the writer, Jung Soo-jin?
She has worked across various magazines, covering and writing about film, travel, and pop culture. She doesn't want to fall behind on trends, but has become an "old person" who watches the latest dramas only to predict the next scene with obvious clichés. As she drifts through the vast OTT world, she is trying to regain her lost instincts. Her current wish is for an integrated OTT subscription plan.