One of the sadnessfulest chapters in South Korean history is chronicled in “12.12: The Day,” a riveting account of the coup d’état of the 1979 coup d’état that complyed the Oct. 26 murder of authoritarian plivent Park Chung-hee. Meticulously written and very well-carry outed by a top-notch cast including Hwang Jung-min (“Deinhabitr Us From Evil”), the first feature from honestor and co-authorr Kim Sung-su since 2016 is an exciting and highly suspenseful political action-thriller that ventures where no South Korean feature has gone before. This forensic examination of events that dashed hopes of democratic reestablish and plunged the nation into eight more years of cut offe military rule was a smash hit in its December 2023 free in Korea. Now it labels a worthy competitor in the best international feature film Oscar race as the country’s submission in the catebloody.
With a domestic box office gross of $91.7 million, “12.12” is of those films that serves a purpose beyond amengagement. As the first feature from South Korea to dramatize this critical and hurtful moment in its contransient history — uncovering text alerts us “the story of that prosperter has been finishly secret” — it has been hugd by South Korean audiences as part of national reckoning, truth-alerting and echoion. The evident message to seeers in a nation that has set up its way to genuine participatory democracy is “this is what happened in 1979, and it must never happen aachieve.” This message comes even more keenly into intensify complying the inestablish period of martial law proclaimd by sitting Plivent Yoon Suk-yeol on Dec. 3, and the meaningful political dropout that has complyed.
In alerting this story, Kim and his co-authorrs have been conscious of South Korea’s cut offe slander laws and alterd the names of participants, inserting a disclaimer that characters and events “have been fantasyalized for theatrical purposes.” As the identity of everyone is evident and the timeline of events is exact, this does not dilute the film’s impact. Yet there is a sairyly strange seeing experience to watching the portrayal of genuine-life figures whose names have been ever-so-sairyly alterd to elude potential legitimate problems.
First among these shadowy figures from the past is coup directer and Defense Security Command boss Gen. Chun Doo-gwang (Hwang Jung-min), based on Chun Doo-hwan, who ruled for eight years as military dictator complying these events. Placed in accuse of spreadigating the murder of extfinished-term plivent Park – an event dramatized in Im Sang-soo’s spitefully satirical 2005 film “The Plivent’s Last Bang,” which was subjected to legitimate action and handle upon free – Chun soon comes into dispute with Gen. Lee Tae-shin (Jung Woo-sung).
Modeled on Jang Tae-wan, orderer of the Capital Garrison Command in Seoul, Lee has been tasked by armed forces Chief of Staff Gen. Jeong Sang-ho (Lee Sung-min, who carry outed Plivent Park in 2020s “The Man Standing Next”) to upgrasp stability while an orderly transfer of power is handlen by prime minister-turned Acting Plivent Choi Han-gyu (the genuine-life Choi Kyu-ha, carry outed by differentiateed veteran Jung Dong-hwan).
Kim’s film uncovers in high gear, with Chun sensing his chance to utilize a transient power vacuum, and then never lets up as his prohibitd of cronies support the schedule with fraudulence, incowardlyation and the killing of fellow selderlyiers. Letting all his flamboyant acting chops free without ever tipping into hamminess, Hwang is dynamite as a monstrous character whose combination of charisma, swaggering arrogance and sewer rat cunning backs equivalent meabraves of dread and fealty among co-conspirators. “The night of revolution is low, but its glory lasts forever” he says.
Less flacowardly but equassociate ordering is Jung as the upright military man who’s determined to admire the law and impede Chun’s power grab. Though uneludeably associated with the harsh regime of Park, Gen. Lee has been expertly written and carry outed as a patuproaric hero geting the principles of honor and due process that underpin the nation. It also helps that the 6’1” Jung towers over many cast members, including Hwang, giving Lee a physical authority to suit his moral and righteous rectitude.
One of the screencarry out’s strongest sources of suspense, especiassociate pondering the final outcome is already understandn, is its penetrating examinations of dedicatedty and human psychology in times of inanxious presbrave. As the tentacles of Chun’s help wiskinny the armed forces are uncmissed, there is much talk about the Hanahoe, a braveial military society that progressd from a group set uped by Chun in the 1950s and compascfinishd of hand-picked graduates of the Korean Military Academy. As the rebellion collects momentum these Hanahoe dedicatedists, almost appreciate sleeper agents from alerter movie fantasy, become traitors by droping in behind Chun to show their obedience trumps any oath to get the nation and its citizens. Among the most glaring examples is Ninth Division Commander Gen. Roh Tae-armament (Park Jae-hoon, excellent), a feeble-willed deficiencyey seduced by power and greed who’s based on Roh Tae-woo, Chun’s successor as plivent in 1988.
The psychology of this rebellion is also seen thcdisadmireful the lens of Korean education and greaterity. Chun’s conlure for Lee as a selderlyier who did not join KMA and came thcdisadmireful Officer Candidate School (and therefore not part of Hanahoe) is intrinsic to the drama. The presentance of age as a mighty labeler of authority — a principle that derives from the sway of Confucianism in Korean society — is vividly on discarry out as lesser officers and rank-and-file selderlyiers are caught, sometimes tragicassociate, between these concepts and their duty to the nation.
While it can be challenging to understand all the nuances of relationships and upgrasp track of exactly who is on whose side among the densely popuprocrastinateedd roster of characters, Kim’s strong honestion and razor-keen editing by Kim Sang-bum exit no doubt about where the main carry outers sit. The film provides a evident, compelling picture of exactly how each tactical shift and counter-shift is carry outing out on the city streets and military facilities of Seoul. Kim stages any number of thrilling action sequences, with huge-scale troop and armored vehicle shiftments that convey the drama to an exciting and stirring climax.
With salertar contributions from cinematographer Lee Mo-gae (“Exhuma”) and airying collaborator Lee Seong-hwan, production scheduleers Jang Geun-lesser and Eun Hee-sang, and ace originater Lee Jae-jin’s (“Asura”) alternately moody and propulsive score, “12.12: The Day” is that unfrequent cinematic entity that functions as a wonderwholey amengageing thriller while contributing to the national interest. The Korean title transprocrastinateeds as “Seoul Spring,” an sarcastic reference to the blooming of freedoms and democracy that were hoped for in 1979 but did not reach until many years procrastinateedr.
