THE TUBE is a slice of South Korean action cinema that owes a great debt to Hollywood action films of the 1990s; it has little of its own look or style and for the most part seems content to emulate American movies instead of carving out a niche for itself. It's a pity, because more recently, Korea has been making some highly distinctive thrillers, such as THE MAN FROM NOWHERE and THE YELLOW SEA, with a look and feel all of their own; this is nothing like them.
This film follows a typical template which sees a disgruntled terrorist deciding to take a train full of commuters hostage. The Korean police and special forces are typically useless, so it falls to a rather bland detective to tackle the menace single-handedly. Along the way, there's time for a little light romance with the distinctive Doona Bae, and some unwelcome, rather broad comedy.
The problem with this film is that the action is just so lacklustre. Nothing happens that we haven't seen before, and some dodgy green-screen effects don't help to add to the experience. There's a distinct lack of effort and realism which becomes apparent as the storyline progresses, and never any real danger to the proceedings; you just don't care about the lives at stake. The poignant ending feels cynical and manipulative in the extreme, and the movie as a whole is entirely forgettable.
This film follows a typical template which sees a disgruntled terrorist deciding to take a train full of commuters hostage. The Korean police and special forces are typically useless, so it falls to a rather bland detective to tackle the menace single-handedly. Along the way, there's time for a little light romance with the distinctive Doona Bae, and some unwelcome, rather broad comedy.
The problem with this film is that the action is just so lacklustre. Nothing happens that we haven't seen before, and some dodgy green-screen effects don't help to add to the experience. There's a distinct lack of effort and realism which becomes apparent as the storyline progresses, and never any real danger to the proceedings; you just don't care about the lives at stake. The poignant ending feels cynical and manipulative in the extreme, and the movie as a whole is entirely forgettable.