Let me tell you a brief story about actor Lee Sun-Kyun, the lead star of the picture Project Silence (2023).
Now, I don’t follow foreign cinema – especially Korean exports – as closely as I used to, but there was a day when I felt a great many features were coming from the nation. Storytelling being what it is, it’s hard to come up with tales that are truly both compelling and original; but South Korean was arguably pushing the boundaries of what was possible in Dramas, Comedies, and Action releases. Some of the nation’s talent truly rode that wave of success, and Lee was among those whose work garnered a great deal of attention and praise from those whose opinions matter far more than most.
Somewhere in and around late 2023, the actor was questioned regarding the use of illegal drugs; and – as a consequence – he began somewhat disappearing from the stage. As best as I can recount the details that emerged slowly over a few weeks, Lee admitted that he may have been drugged by a woman he’d met as she was actively trying to extort money out of him since their curious encounter. As press outlets tend to do, these magazines, newspapers, and television shows went to great lengths to recount some of the most salacious details as they could … and – as happens all too often – the once acclaimed star wound up committing suicide over the damage to his family and reputation.
From what I do recall, the guilty parties – two women who had laced Lee’s bar purchases with drugs and extorted a hefty sum in exchange – were inevitably caught, convicted, and sentenced chiefly as the judge believed it was their efforts which had led the actor to take his own life. I believe there was also an outcry from industry people demanding that the media, too, suffer some penalty for the way they so quickly and voraciously attempted to sully the man’s reputation. Tragically, a shining light was snuffed out far sooner than ever should have happened.
In the wake of Lee’s death, a few projects he had completed previously experienced delays; and Project Silence was among them. I’m glad to have now seen it so that I can comment on what I think is a solid little SciFi/Thriller that kinda/sorta shows just how far Korean cinema has come … for better or for worse.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“On the bridge that connects an island and its major airport with the Korean peninsula, weather conditions suddenly become so bad one can't distinguish anything right in front of them. But there is a far more concerning threat: ‘Echoes’, creatures born from a military experiment called ‘Project Silence’, and being transferred in the utmost secrecy, are let loose, wreaking havoc.”
Now, I don’t follow foreign cinema – especially Korean exports – as closely as I used to, but there was a day when I felt a great many features were coming from the nation. Storytelling being what it is, it’s hard to come up with tales that are truly both compelling and original; but South Korean was arguably pushing the boundaries of what was possible in Dramas, Comedies, and Action releases. Some of the nation’s talent truly rode that wave of success, and Lee was among those whose work garnered a great deal of attention and praise from those whose opinions matter far more than most.
Somewhere in and around late 2023, the actor was questioned regarding the use of illegal drugs; and – as a consequence – he began somewhat disappearing from the stage. As best as I can recount the details that emerged slowly over a few weeks, Lee admitted that he may have been drugged by a woman he’d met as she was actively trying to extort money out of him since their curious encounter. As press outlets tend to do, these magazines, newspapers, and television shows went to great lengths to recount some of the most salacious details as they could … and – as happens all too often – the once acclaimed star wound up committing suicide over the damage to his family and reputation.
From what I do recall, the guilty parties – two women who had laced Lee’s bar purchases with drugs and extorted a hefty sum in exchange – were inevitably caught, convicted, and sentenced chiefly as the judge believed it was their efforts which had led the actor to take his own life. I believe there was also an outcry from industry people demanding that the media, too, suffer some penalty for the way they so quickly and voraciously attempted to sully the man’s reputation. Tragically, a shining light was snuffed out far sooner than ever should have happened.
In the wake of Lee’s death, a few projects he had completed previously experienced delays; and Project Silence was among them. I’m glad to have now seen it so that I can comment on what I think is a solid little SciFi/Thriller that kinda/sorta shows just how far Korean cinema has come … for better or for worse.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“On the bridge that connects an island and its major airport with the Korean peninsula, weather conditions suddenly become so bad one can't distinguish anything right in front of them. But there is a far more concerning threat: ‘Echoes’, creatures born from a military experiment called ‘Project Silence’, and being transferred in the utmost secrecy, are let loose, wreaking havoc.”
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, I had the good fortune of being one of Amazon.com’s Top 1,000 Reviewers. That changed not all that long ago once the online retail behemoth abruptly pulled out the rug with huge rules revision; but for a good number of years I had a respectable platform from which to preach about entertainment and other things.
One of the biggest fascinations I had during all of that tenure was the foreign movie scene. In particular, I had grown very fond of the output from South Korea for one significant reason: they were spinning some absolutely fabulous yarns – bloody, funny, thrilling, etc. – in what looked like an environment entirely outside of the Hollywood studio system. Though I have learned since that time that some argue a nation like Korea has its own systemic quirks, I still contend that the kind of films I was seeing debatably looked vastly unlike the all-too-formulaic American fare; and – today – I still stand by that assessment.
Alas, Project Silence makes me think that the Korean film industry might very well have completed a full 180-degree turnaround.
Succinctly, Silence is about as close to the big, loud, dumb, and fun tentpole-style features that Tinseltown loves to churn out as popcorn entertainment. Why, one can almost watch the flick and see precisely how Characters A+B+C are textually meant to come together so that their inevitable collaboration might pave the way toward Epiphanies D+E+F; and only then can we chart a course for the big budget effects-laden last reel that should leave audiences breathless from the anticipation. Yes, we’ve seen it before; and, yes, we can all most likely predict exactly how it’s going to end … and, of course, that even means inserting a little carrot toward the end to offer hope of a sequel if the original chapter is as successful as studio heads hope.
OK. There you have it. There’s my complaint.
But you know what?
I had a helluva lotta fun with this one.
Cha Jeong-won (played by the late Lee Sun-kyun) is that government employed public relations specialist whose has grown used to pulling the collective asses of the ranking party out of the proverbial fire. Though he’s sometimes blunt to a fault, he’ll stop at nothing to guarantee that he offers only the best advice – good or dire – to the head of the current regime even at the risk of damaging his own future and reputation. But now that his wife has passed, he’s had to turn some of his attention away from official matters of state in order to prepare his teenage daughter Cha Kyeong-min (Kim Su-an) for her time that’s going to be spent studying abroad.
On his way to drop her off at the airport, Jeong-won finds himself driving through an uncharacteristically treacherous fog that leads to a multi-car pile-up on a massive suspension bridge. While both he and Kyeong-min are trying to help stabilize the environment, another small military convey joins in the accident; and the clandestine group accidentally releases a pack of wild dogs who’ve been genetically enhanced to hunt and kill suspected terrorists. When the technology controlling the animals fail and the beasts begin turning on civilians, Jeong-won finds himself tasked with leading his daughter and their fellow survivors to safety before the bridge collapses all around them.
In many ways, Silence is nothing more than a formula picture from inception through its creation.
As I suggested above, it has its requisite pieces – along with a supply of stock characters – and it can undoubtedly only be assembled in one specific package. From the outset, it grows fairly clear that watchers have seen this before – most especially on the American scene – when one massively successful adventure inspires countless imitators. Remember 1988’s Die Hard? Remember how Die Hard brought us 1992’s Under Siege, aka ‘Die Hard On A Boat?’ Or 1994’s Speed, aka ‘Die Hard On A Bus?’ Or 1997’s Air Force One, aka ‘Die Hard On A Plane?’ For all intents and purposes, one might better understand what’s in store when boarding Project Silence by thinking of it as ‘Die Hard On A Bridge.’
Now … surprisingly, that isn’t intended as a complaint.
One of the biggest fascinations I had during all of that tenure was the foreign movie scene. In particular, I had grown very fond of the output from South Korea for one significant reason: they were spinning some absolutely fabulous yarns – bloody, funny, thrilling, etc. – in what looked like an environment entirely outside of the Hollywood studio system. Though I have learned since that time that some argue a nation like Korea has its own systemic quirks, I still contend that the kind of films I was seeing debatably looked vastly unlike the all-too-formulaic American fare; and – today – I still stand by that assessment.
Alas, Project Silence makes me think that the Korean film industry might very well have completed a full 180-degree turnaround.
Succinctly, Silence is about as close to the big, loud, dumb, and fun tentpole-style features that Tinseltown loves to churn out as popcorn entertainment. Why, one can almost watch the flick and see precisely how Characters A+B+C are textually meant to come together so that their inevitable collaboration might pave the way toward Epiphanies D+E+F; and only then can we chart a course for the big budget effects-laden last reel that should leave audiences breathless from the anticipation. Yes, we’ve seen it before; and, yes, we can all most likely predict exactly how it’s going to end … and, of course, that even means inserting a little carrot toward the end to offer hope of a sequel if the original chapter is as successful as studio heads hope.
OK. There you have it. There’s my complaint.
But you know what?
I had a helluva lotta fun with this one.
Cha Jeong-won (played by the late Lee Sun-kyun) is that government employed public relations specialist whose has grown used to pulling the collective asses of the ranking party out of the proverbial fire. Though he’s sometimes blunt to a fault, he’ll stop at nothing to guarantee that he offers only the best advice – good or dire – to the head of the current regime even at the risk of damaging his own future and reputation. But now that his wife has passed, he’s had to turn some of his attention away from official matters of state in order to prepare his teenage daughter Cha Kyeong-min (Kim Su-an) for her time that’s going to be spent studying abroad.
On his way to drop her off at the airport, Jeong-won finds himself driving through an uncharacteristically treacherous fog that leads to a multi-car pile-up on a massive suspension bridge. While both he and Kyeong-min are trying to help stabilize the environment, another small military convey joins in the accident; and the clandestine group accidentally releases a pack of wild dogs who’ve been genetically enhanced to hunt and kill suspected terrorists. When the technology controlling the animals fail and the beasts begin turning on civilians, Jeong-won finds himself tasked with leading his daughter and their fellow survivors to safety before the bridge collapses all around them.
In many ways, Silence is nothing more than a formula picture from inception through its creation.
As I suggested above, it has its requisite pieces – along with a supply of stock characters – and it can undoubtedly only be assembled in one specific package. From the outset, it grows fairly clear that watchers have seen this before – most especially on the American scene – when one massively successful adventure inspires countless imitators. Remember 1988’s Die Hard? Remember how Die Hard brought us 1992’s Under Siege, aka ‘Die Hard On A Boat?’ Or 1994’s Speed, aka ‘Die Hard On A Bus?’ Or 1997’s Air Force One, aka ‘Die Hard On A Plane?’ For all intents and purposes, one might better understand what’s in store when boarding Project Silence by thinking of it as ‘Die Hard On A Bridge.’
Now … surprisingly, that isn’t intended as a complaint.
As a thriller – of which Silence most definitely is – the film is damn near perfectly assembled. Oh, I’ll concede that there’s a great amount of CGI effects work in here that isn’t quite up-to-par. Though I’ve seen better, I can assure you I’ve also seen far worse. The various action sequences range from average to better-than-average in a few spots. Yes, there’s a bit of laughable substandard genetic science and the typical hard-headed governmental stupidity that might cause a groan here or there. But when it sticks to the formula in the best ways, Silence makes plenty of noise, the kind of which most audiences find acceptable with buckets of popcorn to fill their mouths whilst enjoying.
If you had asked me twenty years ago that I’d see the devolution of Korean cinema into its paint-by-numbers American counterpart in my lifetime, then I’d have told you that you were crazy. Economies being what they are, I wouldn’t have argued it couldn’t happen: rather, I saw their storytellers were simply going boldly in different directions so frequently that I wouldn’t have predicted it probable. Still, a lot can happen in twenty years; and, hey, if that nation now wants a chunk of the business that the rest of the world used to do well in its sleep, then so be it. Who am I to complain? Ultimately, I’m a consumer who consumes, and that means I’m still coming out ahead in the deal.
Silence feels like a grand Saturday Night at the movies, and this outing had me realizing how much I’d miss that.
Project Silence (2023) was produced by Blaad Studios, CJ ENM Co., CJ ENM Studios, CJ Entertainment, and Dexter Studios. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Capelight Pictures. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the provided sights-and-sounds to be respectable from start-to-finish: there’s some rather obvious computer graphics in here, but – taken with a grain of salt – it works just fine for how it was intended. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? Alas … you’re out of luck. Not a one.
Recommended.
Here’s the thing, folks: I’m not going to try to convince any of you that you haven’t seen Project Silence (2023) before. The whole schtick of government-sponsored science gone awry is old hat; and yet what I saw with this was a perfectly predictable, perfectly tolerable, and near-perfectly entertaining ninety minutes feature that – in another timeline – might be playing Saturday night on South Korea’s equivalent to the SciFi (Syfy) Channel. Is that bad? Well, it might not be great, but I still can appreciate the old-fashioned popcorn movie because I was raised on them. That’s what this is. If that tickles your fancy as much as it does mine, then buckle up.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Capelight Pictures provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Project Silence (2023) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
If you had asked me twenty years ago that I’d see the devolution of Korean cinema into its paint-by-numbers American counterpart in my lifetime, then I’d have told you that you were crazy. Economies being what they are, I wouldn’t have argued it couldn’t happen: rather, I saw their storytellers were simply going boldly in different directions so frequently that I wouldn’t have predicted it probable. Still, a lot can happen in twenty years; and, hey, if that nation now wants a chunk of the business that the rest of the world used to do well in its sleep, then so be it. Who am I to complain? Ultimately, I’m a consumer who consumes, and that means I’m still coming out ahead in the deal.
Silence feels like a grand Saturday Night at the movies, and this outing had me realizing how much I’d miss that.
Project Silence (2023) was produced by Blaad Studios, CJ ENM Co., CJ ENM Studios, CJ Entertainment, and Dexter Studios. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Capelight Pictures. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the provided sights-and-sounds to be respectable from start-to-finish: there’s some rather obvious computer graphics in here, but – taken with a grain of salt – it works just fine for how it was intended. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? Alas … you’re out of luck. Not a one.
Recommended.
Here’s the thing, folks: I’m not going to try to convince any of you that you haven’t seen Project Silence (2023) before. The whole schtick of government-sponsored science gone awry is old hat; and yet what I saw with this was a perfectly predictable, perfectly tolerable, and near-perfectly entertaining ninety minutes feature that – in another timeline – might be playing Saturday night on South Korea’s equivalent to the SciFi (Syfy) Channel. Is that bad? Well, it might not be great, but I still can appreciate the old-fashioned popcorn movie because I was raised on them. That’s what this is. If that tickles your fancy as much as it does mine, then buckle up.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Capelight Pictures provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Project Silence (2023) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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