It’s popular among Gen Z to say that beef between two individuals or entities is generational. Well, there’s no beef more generational than the beef between North Korea and South Korea.

The only two Nations that have more beef with one another than Israel and Palestine are the divided Korean Nations.  Whether it is the Hardcore commies of the North or the brand-happy capitalists of the South, you can always suspect that whenever there is a film from the Korean region about the opposite Nation, a lot of unresolved issues are going to come to light.

For a film entitled ‘Hijack 1971’  the film gives audiences an introduction into what has caused such tension between the two Nations for several decades.  In the late 1960s, a commercial airliner was hijacked by a North Korean terrorist who flew the plane from Seoul into North Korean territory.  After days of international tribulation, roughly 90% of the South Korean hostages were released and allowed to go back home.

The most useful people on the plane were forced to be left behind and served the North Korean government against their will and many never returned home. As a country that knows all about International incidents involving planes,  Hijack 1971 is one of the most intriguing dramas of the year. Set in 1971, Tae-in Is the first officer of a civilian airliner who has worked this way up to co-pilot just a couple of years after being on the opposite end of a North Korean hijack. 

A couple of years earlier Tae-in was a South Korean Air Force pilot as a hijacker stole a plane and fluid into North Korean territory in an incident that saw Tae-in lose a good friend to the North Korean regime. Now he is on the opposite side of things, being responsible for the lives of roughly 40 passengers and a routine flight out of Korea. 

What he doesn’t know however is that another North Korean hijacker who is inspired by the event that took place in 69′ decides that he is going to steal a plane into North Korea under the possibly false hope of obtaining wealth and fame in the nation. The hijacker has a gun and several bombs to make sure nobody messes with his road to glory.

This puts Tae-in in an impossible position to attempt to save the passengers from a hijacker while preventing them from going into North Korean territory and possibly being shot down by the South Korean government. Hijack 1971 is a film that is based on true events. The central theme of this movie revolves around the consequences of actions and being haunted by making both the right and wrong decisions.

When it comes to our protagonist, he is a character who deals with the regret of not making the call to shoot down a civilian airliner which would have prevented several members on board from being kidnapped by the North Korean government. While he made the decision that ultimately saved the most lives, but the fact that several passengers never returned to the country haunts him.

To make matters worse the actions of the hijacker inspired the antagonist to hijack the plane in hopes of getting Fame and glory for himself. Yeo Jin-goo who plays the civilian hijacker is a South Korean man who was once falsely accused of being a North Korean Defector and as a result of his false accusation indirectly led to the death of his mother. 

With a growing hatred of the South Korean government,  he decides to perform the ultimate Act of rebellion by delivering several unsuspecting victims to the North Korean government in hopes that his act will be seen as heroic in the North as he was once condemned as a villain from the South. For Western audiences, it’s always intriguing to see an international conflict from Nations not involving the United States.

As the film considers itself to be a disaster movie,  the way it hooks audiences into the story is by giving a brief introduction of several characters who are on the plane to relay the severity of the situation at hand. The film is a shining window into the actions of heroism and villainy,  despite understanding that the antagonist’s actions are clear.

You still feel for his situation of how he got here being mistreated by the people who he thought that he could trust.  On the flip side, the protagonist is given a second chance to do the right thing and save the lives of all the passengers even if that means giving up his own in the process.

Hijack 1971 is a bold and Brilliant film that showcases the tension of a dire situation that is done in a far better fashion than movies in the horror genre that look to achieve the same effect.

The film is the perfect Summer movie for those desperately seeking a little bit more quality and fewer yellow Twinkies with the kids.

4/5

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