Escape (2024 South Korean film)

2024 South Korean film by Lee Jong-pil

Escape

Theatrical release poster

Hangul|

Hanja|

RR| Talju
MR| T'alju
Directed by| Lee Jong-pil
Written by|

* Kwon Seong-hwi
* Kim Woo-geun

Produced by|

* Park Eun-kyung
* Hong Jeong-in
* Kang Dae-wook
* Kim Woo-sung

Starring|

* Lee Je-hoon
* Koo Kyo-hwan
* Hong Xa-bin

Cinematography| Kim Sung-an
Edited by| Lee Kang-hee
Music by| Dalpalan

Production
companies

* The Lamp Ltd.
* Eunhasu Film

Distributed by| Plus M Entertainment

Release date

* July 3, 2024 (2024-07-03)

Running time

| 94 minutes
Country| South Korea
Language| Korean
Box office| US$18.5 million[1][2]

Escape (Korean: 탈주) is a 2024 South Korean action thriller film directed by Lee Jong-pil and starring Lee Je-hoon, Koo Kyo-hwan and Hong Xa-bin. The film depicts the life-threatening defection and chase of Lim Gyu-nam, a North Korean soldier who dreams of a life with a tomorrow on the other side of the barbed-wire fence, and Hyeon-sang, a North Korean State Security officer who must stop him. It was released on July 3, 2024.[3]

## Plot

[edit]

Near the Korean Demilitarized Zone, Sergeant Lim Gyu-nam of the Korean People's Army, who is about to be discharged after 10 years of service, prepares to defect from North Korea to South Korea, due to disillusionment with the regime. However, lower-ranking soldier Kim Dong-hyuk, who discovers Gyu-nam's plan, attempts to escape first, and Gyu-nam, who tries to stop him, is suddenly arrested as a deserter.

Major Li Hyeon-sang of the Ministry of State Security who came to the unit to investigate a deserter, turns Gyu-nam, whom he had known since childhood, into a hero for his efforts to apprehend a deserter, and gives him a position as a direct assistant to the division commander, assisting him with his life. However, when Gyu-nam makes a full-scale escape along with Dong-hyuk, Hyeon-sang begins a pursuit with no way to back down. As Gyu-nam and Dong-hyuk make their escape, Dong-hyuk is killed by Major Li Hyeon. Dong-Hyuk hands his sister's necklace to Gyu-nam and succumbs to his injuries. Major Li Hyeon is stopped as Gyu-nam crosses a mine field. As dawn breaks, Gyu-nam sees a squad of South Korean patrol troops. Realising that he is near to South Korea, he approaches them. However, he is stopped by Major Li, who holds Gyu-nam at gunpoint and says that life in South Korea is a failure. Gyu-nam pushes him and beats him up, before running towards a telephone and calling the South Korean soldiers of JSA, telling them about his wish to defect.

Gyu-nam then rushes inside a tunnel that heads towards the DMZ and to South Korea. As he runs, he is shot by Major Li multiple times. Determined to escape, Gyu-nam crawls towards a white line that symbolises the North and South Korean border. As Major Li is about to kill Gyu-nam, South Korean troops arrive, forcing Major Li to leave. Gyu-nam notices that his hands are on the White Line- he is now officially in South Korea. Gyu-nam is then asked by a South Korean soldier if he had radioed for defection. With Gyu-nam responding affirmatively, the South Koreans rescue him.

One year later, Gyu-nam is sitting inside his apartment, writing a business proposal letter, planning to travel abroad. A few days later, he meets his late junior Dong-hyuk's mother and sister, passing them the family necklace and sharing some moments with Dong-hyuk while they were serving in the North. The film ends with Gyu-nam, now a free man, listening to a podcast. He receives mail informing him of the approval of his business proposal. Seeing this, he smiles and walks while watching the skyline.

## Cast

[edit]

* Lee Je-hoon as Sergeant First Class Lim Gyu-nam, a North Korean soldier who dreams of a new life in the South, away from the North where the future is predetermined.[4]
* Koo Kyo-hwan as Major Lee Hyun-sang, an officer of North Korea's National Security Department, an intelligence department, who initially promoted Gyu-nam for apprehending a deserter but now leads a pursuit.[5][6]
* Hong Xa-bin as Kim Dong-hyuk, a low-ranking soldier who dreams of escaping like Gyu-nam, but was apprehended.
* Seo Hyun-woo as Major Cha, the head of the police department in charge of the 1st Division's battlefield area.
* Lee Sung-wook as First Lieutenant Hong, a military officer belonging to the Ministry of Police in charge of the battalion.
* Jung Joon-won as Second Lieutenant Park Jun-pyeong.
* Park Yoon-hee as Director of the General Political Bureau.
* Song Kang as Seon Woo-min[7][8]
* Esom as nomad leader[9]
* Lee Ho-jung as wandering rifle girl
* Hyun Ji Shin as nomad
* Jang Young-nam as Dong-hyuk's mother
* Bae Cheol-soo as himself

## Soundtrack

[edit]

In the film, Major Li Hyeon-sang turns out to have won international piano competitions, but chooses the military career because he is the son of a general trying to survive in the regime. According to the closing credits accompanied by Zion.T's 2014 digital single "Yanghwa Bridge", these are the classical music that have appeared in the movie:

* Johann Strauss II's Wener Blut Op. 354
* Dmitri Shostakovich's Dances of the Dolls - 1. Lyric Waltz
* Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G minor Op. 23 No. 5 & Piano Concerto No. 2 Op 18
* Frédéric Chopin's Waltz in B minor, Op. 69, No. 2

## Accolades

[edit]

Award ceremony  | Year  | Category  | Nominee  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Baeksang Arts Awards | 2025 | Best Director | Lee Jong-pil  | Nominated  | [10]
Best Supporting Actor | Koo Kyo-hwan | Nominated
Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2024 | Best Director | Lee Jong-pil  | Nominated  |
Best Actor | Lee Je-hoon  | Nominated  |
Best Supporting Actor | Koo Kyo-hwan  | Nominated  |
Best Editing | Lee Gang-hee  | Nominated  |
Best Cinematography and Lighting | Kim Sung-an and Lee Seung-bin  | Nominated  |
Best Art Direction | Bae Jung-yoon  | Nominated  |
Best Music | Dalpalan  | Nominated  |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Escape". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
2. ^ "KOFIC, KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) The Box office: Korean films of 2024". KOFIC. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
3. ^ Park Sang- hoo (May 24, 2024). 이제훈·구교환 '탈주' 7월 3일 개봉 확정 [Lee Je-hoon and Koo Kyo-hwan's 'Escape' confirmed to be released on July 3] (in Korean). JTBC. Archived from the original on June 22, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024 – via Naver.
4. ^ Kim Bo-ra (January 10, 2024). "함께 연기하는 게 꿈"…'탈주' 이제훈x구교환, 올 7월 개봉 확정 [공식] ["It's my dream to act together"… 'Escape' Lee Je-hoon x Koo Kyo-hwan confirmed to be released in July this year [Official]] (in Korean). OSEN. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
5. ^ Shim Eon-kyung (December 28, 2021). 구교환, '탈주' 출연 확정...이제훈 러브콜 성사됐다[공식] [Gu Gwan-hwa confirmed to appear in 'Escape'... Lee Je-hoon's love call was successful [Official]] (in Korean). Sports TV News. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021 – via Naver.
6. ^ Kim Bo-ra (January 10, 2024). "함께 연기하는 게 꿈"...'탈주' 이제훈x구교환, 올 7월 개봉 확정 [공식] ["It's my dream to act together"... 'Escape' Lee Je-hoon x Koo Kyo-hwan confirmed to be released in July this year [Official]] (in Korean). OSEN. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
7. ^ Ha Ha-jeong (June 18, 2024). '탈주' 송강→이솜, 주연배우 못지 않은 화려한 특별출연 ['Escape' Song Kang → Lee Som, special appearance as spectacular as the main actors] (in Korean). OSEN. Retrieved June 22, 2024 – via Naver.
8. ^ Opie, David (July 4, 2024). "Inside the Queerbaiting Controversy Behind 'Escape,' South Korea's Latest Action Blockbuster". IndieWire. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
9. ^ Ha Ha-jeong (June 18, 2024). '탈주' 송강→이솜, 주연배우 못지 않은 화려한 특별출연 ['Escape' Song Kang → Lee Som, special appearance as spectacular as the main actors] (in Korean). OSEN. Archived from the original on June 22, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024 – via Naver.
10. ^ Jeong, Han-Byeol (April 7, 2025). 다음 달 열리는 제61회 백상예술대상방송·영화·연극 부문 후보 발표. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved April 7, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Escape at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)
* Escape at IMDb
* Escape at HanCinema

*[Ref.]: Reference(s)