What do you look for in disaster movies? A single, superhuman savior? A diabolical villain who doesn't get killed 'til the very end? A populace rallying to support the surviving victims desperately trying to survive. Han Jae-rim's heartstopping Emergency Declaration has none of these components. Who cares? From its opening scenes, this one's a nail-biter. Credit Im Si-wan as a terrorist with a high creep factor. Once you've seen him stitch poison capsules into his body in the airport bathroom, you know this guy's major trouble! Credit Lee Byung-hun as a divorced dad trying to remove the stigma from eczema. How fortunate this man's got a history as a heroic pilot. Credit Song Kang-ho as a detective who'll go to any extreme to bring his wife home to safety. When isn't this actor great?
Oh yes. Everyone's in top form in this movie which also defies expectations by creating a believable narrative in which collective self-sacrifice feels noble but not far-fetched. Running at 2 hours and 21 minutes, Emergency Declaration isn't a slow-burn but more like a brush fire that keeps getting bigger and bigger and scarier. Block out some time to watch it. You're not going to want to hit the pause button.
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