Until now, I've held a significant personal distrust of Netflix-exclusive, or "Original," films. Perhaps it's the difference between watching a movie with complete focus in a theater versus watching at home in a somewhat distracting environment. However, even setting aside those environmental factors, the truth is that films produced by Netflix have repeatedly failed to meet expectations, leaving me feeling underwhelmed. As a result, even when new films are released, they tend to get pushed to the back of my watchlist.
The movie 'Good News' was also pushed far down my watchlist for those very reasons. With so many interesting dramas and other content to watch recently, it was deprioritized, and I only just recently pressed play. Now that I've finished the film, I'm struck by two facts, along with the regret of not having watched it sooner. First, that this movie is based on an unbelievable "true story," and second, that this was the most entertaining Netflix-exclusive film I have ever seen.
Throughout the entire movie, I had a strong feeling that "this must be based on a true story." The narrative was simply too bizarre and filled with realistic irony to be something a screenwriter merely imagined. I was vaguely aware that Japan's "Red Army Faction" was a social issue and that they had committed a hijacking. However, I had no idea that the hijacked plane had landed on South Korean soil—at Gimpo Airport, no less.
The incident, which occurred in 1970, involved the Japanese Red Army Faction hijacking a plane with the goal of heading to North Korea. However, to get from Japan to North Korea, there was a place they absolutely had to pass through: the airspace of the Republic of Korea. Even considering it was an era when information traveled far more slowly and analogically than today, violating another country's airspace was a serious matter that could in itself become a pretext for war.
In the film's beginning, the situation in Japan and the situation in Korea unfold simultaneously, which was slightly confusing as I tried to understand how the two stories connected. But the reason quickly becomes clear. The Red Army Faction's plane, en route to North Korea, either veers off course or is guided for some reason, making an emergency landing at South Korea's Gimpo Airport. This unexpected event throws the South Korean government into massive chaos, igniting the film's central conflict.
'Good News' truly shines as a black comedy from this point on. In 1970, the South Korean government devises an extraordinary plan to deceive the hijackers who landed at Gimpo Airport: to disguise Gimpo Airport as Pyongyang Airport in North Korea. There were many moments while watching the film that I thought, "Is such a shoddy disguise really possible?" But what's even more surprising is that its very "shoddiness" was the reality reflecting the tense, actual situation of the time.
While the acting from every cast member, from lead to support, was superb, if I had to pick the single most impressive actor, it would undoubtedly be Ryu Seung-beom. The character he played was reportedly not a real person but one created for the film. However, on screen, he exudes an overwhelming presence, as if he were breathing more vividly than any real person. To be honest, it's no exaggeration to say that my immersion in the film skyrocketed from the moment Ryu Seung-beom truly appeared.
Of course, the other actors' performances were also excellent. Sol Kyung-gu provided a weighty center to the story as a fictional character, and Hong Kyung, who played "First Lieutenant Seo Go-myeong," made me marvel once again at the fact that his character was a real person. Also, the Red Army Faction's leader, played by Sho Kasamatsu, looked familiar, and a search revealed he was the actor from the drama 'Gannibal.' What was particularly impressive was how the Japanese actors shed the unique acting tone often seen in Japanese productions and instead delivered emotional performances that perfectly melted into the sentiment of a Korean work.
What is even more movie-like than the movie itself is the unbelievable conclusion to this true story. In the end, the Red Army Faction, after many twists and turns, succeeded in getting to North Korea and are reportedly still living well there to this day, being treated as "heroes." To think that they even shared their daily lives on Twitter (now X) in 2022—it's nothing short of a historical irony. Meanwhile, the bitter aftertaste is that the real South Korean individuals who carried out the operation, like First Lieutenant Seo Go-myeong, were never properly recognized for their contributions, just as depicted in the film.
'Good News' successfully dons the genre of black comedy while dealing with the tense and serious situation of a high-profile hijacking. Scenes that make the audience laugh even amidst extreme tension are scattered throughout, and the success of this film can be sensed in the fact that this laughter is never frivolous. The power of a flimsy and absurd true story that makes you ask, "Is this real?" and the god-like acting of the cast who perfectly brought that story to the screen. For these two reasons alone, 'Good News' is, without a doubt, the best Korean film I have ever seen on Netflix.
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