In theaters, the action-packed Korean thriller ‘Concrete Utopia’, combining social criticism and blockbuster spectacle. We tell whether the Koreans managed to sit on two chairs.

A powerful earthquake destroys Seoul almost completely. Only one residential complex remains intact. But there is enough space and resources only for residents who are ready to stand to the death for their saving place. This is how the film ‘Concrete Utopia’ (Konkeuriteu yutopia) begins, which, according to its title, is not so much a disaster movie as a sketch of a utopian community built on the ruins of the former world.

At the center of the story are two main characters. One of them is Yeong-tak (Lee Byung-hun, known to a wide audience from the film ‘I Saw the Devil’), elected by the residents as ‘president’, who takes on the burden of responsibility for making key decisions. And his right-hand man Min-seong (Park Seo-joon from ‘Parasites’), a former military man who becomes the head of the local police.

Different in character and perception of their new roles – if Yeong-tak quickly gets into the role of a leader, Min-seong rather views what is happening as a forced circumstance – the characters go through, in general, similar story arcs of accepting the situation and then their own ‘self’. And these lines lead to one thought obvious for the genre – it is important to remain human in any situation.

Koreans would not be Koreans if they did not include social criticism in the film. As usual, this can be traced in witty thrillers, bloody action films, and . And to do this in a utopia is a godsend.

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Open material

In addition to the obvious conflicts between rich and poor and issues of hierarchy, the film ‘Concrete Utopia’ has a hilarious dialogue about whether a person paying a mortgage should be considered a full-fledged apartment owner! A true Bulgakovian absurdity in the setting of destroyed Seoul.

For the film to be considered a full-fledged success, it lacks strong side storylines and interesting secondary characters (they are more functions here than independent units). But everything related to mounting tension, brutal but grounded action, and the occasional barbs is in perfect order for director Um Tae-hwa. No wonder it has a sequel, already debuted on Netflix. And here the capitalists won, what can you do.

Trailer:

‘Concrete Utopia’ in theaters from February 14.