Movie Stats

Year Released: 2016

Genre: Disaster

Main Cast: Ha Jung Woo, Bae Doo-Na, Shin Jung Keun, Oh Dal Su, Nam Ji Hyun

 

Well Go USA Entertainment was kind enough to send me an advanced copy of Korean movie Tunnel. They must have heard how much I love action/disaster films. So let’s get into this, shall we?

The AsianWiki website has a nice blurb about the movie.

Lee Jung-Soo drives home for his daughter’s birthday. While driving through a tunnel that crosses through a mountain, the unthinkable happens. The tunnel collapses. When Lee Jung-Soo regains consciousness, he finds himself trapped inside his car. The car itself is buried under thousands of tons of concrete and debris. All he has inside the car are his cellphone, two bottles of water and his daughter’s birthday cake.

Review

Now let’s REALLY get into it.

First, let me say I live in a place that is SURROUNDED by tunnels. I take one a few times a month getting around town and it never occurred to me that something like this could happen. Jung Soo is stuck in a collapsed tunnel. He seems relatively calm, considering what happened. His phone is his lifeline and manages to get on the phone with the emergency services right away. He doesn’t have a lot of things in his car that he could use to help him survive the ordeal but he makes it work.

They just told this dude that it’s gonna take 1 week to rescue him. He has a cake & 1.5 bottles of water to survive off of. #tunnelthemovie

— Sara 사라 (@Young_Ajummah) April 23, 2017

It bothered me so much that he didn’t have what I thought were basic needs in his car, I started making a list of supplies of things I needed in case I ended up in a similar situation.

So now I’m taking notes of thing o need to keep in my trunk at all times. Just in case. #tunnelthemovie

— Sara 사라 (@Young_Ajummah) April 23, 2017

The first few days, Jung Soo is cool. Yes, it’s a dire situation but he’s rationing his water, he’s rationing the cake, he’s making brief calls to his wife (who I didn’t even RECOGNIZE).

Everything is going as well as to be expected until he meets…her. Another survivor, with a cute dog.  She’s hurt, and she’s needy. Now I know what you are going to say… as a human being, you should want to help someone in need.

This chick is asking for too much. Water for her & her dog, a phone call #tunnelthemovie. I would probably want the same in the situation.

— Sara 사라 (@Young_Ajummah) April 23, 2017

Here’s the thing though, the supplies are limited. He was doing okay on his own but when he was trying to help the lady, she was spilling water all over her mouth, asking for more when he stopped giving her any and just…ugh.

While all this was going on, the emergency crew was busy digging through the rubble, trying to get to Jung Soo and the female survivor.

There was a LOT of rubble. It took the crew about 2 weeks to hit the top of the tunnel.  Everyone was happy, on the phone with the higher-ups, the press was there…you get the point. Unfortunately, the happy feeling was shortlived.

Back inside the tunnel, Jung Soo is resting in his car when he hears something rustling around. He frantically turns on the light and low and behold, it’s the damn dog, eating all the cake. Jung Soo tries to stop the dog but the damage is done. All that he has left is a few ounces of water.

He goes to visit the female survivor but she’s eerily quiet. Jung Soo tries to wake her by pouring the liquid gold aka water on/in her mouth but she doesn’t move. He tries to move the rumble and discovers a terrible sight. There was rebar sticking out of her side. She bled out overnight and died in her car.

While Jung Soo is dealing with the fact that he is now alone (he does still have the dog), the people outside realize that they have accidentally drilled in the wrong area.  It’s been two weeks since Jung Soo first drove through the tunnel. He’s going stir crazy, his phone has died and he’s out of water.

 

Okay now we are getting into the real. This is starting to get uncomfortable. #tunnelthemovie

— Sara 사라 (@Young_Ajummah) April 23, 2017

The government wants to shut the rescue operation down because they are wasting too much money, are requesting too many supplies and they want to start construction on new a tunnel (of fricking course).  It’s been about 25 days and he couldn’t actually be alive, right?

 

But he was. Barely, but he was alive. The main emergency rescue man decides to try 1 more time to reach Jung Soo and tries to go down into the shaft where they had drilled the first time. Lo and behold, he hears him!

 

Finally, 30 days from when he entered the tunnel, Jung Soo is free. Gee whiz. What a damn ride. I have to give it to the main emergency rescue man. He didn’t give up even though the odds were against him. Even the higher-ups wanted to stop.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this movie. It wasn’t too heavy and it definitely had me thinking about what I would do in a similar situation (I probably wouldn’t make it past day 5).
Have you watched the movie yet? What were your thoughts on it? Let me know in the comments below and let me know what else you’re watching!