Seongnan Hwangso / Unstoppable (2018) - Stereotypical but Sympathetic - 8/10 (25/07/23)

Unstoppable, originally titled Seongnan Hwangso, is a South-Korean action-thriller offering Kim Min-ho's directorial film debut. This movie notably features star actor Ma Dong-seok, who has risen to fame in movies such as The Good, the Bad, the Weird as well as Quick, Kundo: Age of the Rampant, Train to Busan, The Outlaws, Along with the Gods, Champion, The Gangster, The Cop, the Devil and the Roundup while international cineasts might have discovered him in Eternals. This excellent actor and his radiant charisma elevate an average genre film to a good one that should please fans of atmospheric action-thrillers.

The story is quickly told. Dong-chul is a former gangster who is now married and has become a meek seafood distributor who has serious financial issues. The latter element leads to constant arguments with his wife Ji-soo. After one such argument at a restaurant, Ji-soo decides to take a cab home, only to be kidnapped by a group of filthy human traffickers. When the police is slow to intervene, Dong-chul decides to take matters into his own hands. He teams up with several acquaintances and starts investigating across South Korea and even in Russia.

This movie convinces on several levels. Ma Dong-seok convinces in his role as gentle giant whose chaotic life takes a sinister turn. The action scenes in this film are filmed with precision and value authenticity over exaggeration. The different locations have been chosen with care and offer some entertaining diversity. The story has a rather realistic vibe, portraying an important contemporary issue in South Korea. Despite its bleak story, the movie includes several passages of hilarious situation comedy that make the final product more accessible.

On the negative side, one can't help but feel that Ma Dong-seok keeps being cast into stereotypical roles ever since his breakthrough performance as tough fighter with a heart of gold in Train to Busan. The side characters are sympathetic but also quite by the numbers. The story touches an important topic but remains overall predictable and must ultimately be considered paper thin.

At the end of the day, Unstoppable is by no means an excellent movie that should be watched by everyone. However, it's an entertaining action-thriller with some surprising situation comedy and a charismatic lead actor who might as well be considered South Korea's best contemporary male actor by now. Fans of Asian action cinema and actor Ma Dong-seok should give this movie a try. Everyone else might simply watch Unstoppable on a slow rainy day to get two hours of very decent but not excellent entertainment.