Synopsis
“Emergency Declaration” is a South Korean disaster-action thriller released in 2021 and directed by Han Jae-rim. It depicts a terrifying situation that occurs on a flight from Incheon, South Korea to Honolulu, Hawaii. A passenger unleashes a deadly airborne virus mid-flight, causing both in-air and ground government personnel, airline staff, and passengers to scramble to survive and contain the outbreak in a chaotic battle to either control the situation or keep it from spiraling out of control.
The film opens with Detective Gu In-ho following an online lead suggesting bioterrorism that piques his interest. His fears become real after learning that a flight has been booked by one of the suspect. The flight in question is Flight KI501, which has more than 150 travelers including Gu In-ho’s wife and daughter, and an ex-pilot with his child, Park Jae-hyuk .
Aboard the aircraft, one of the passengers quickly succumbs to an illness, triggering panic among all passengers and attendants. As the situation on board escalates, it becomes apparent that a contained, fast-acting virus is responsible for the chaos. The terrorist is later identified as Ryu Jin-seok – vengeful ex-pharmaceutical researcher who infected himself with a pathogen and released it in cabin air system to make a statement.
The flight crew deals with an escalating crisis while simultaneously trying to perform emergency landings in the United States and Japan. Stranded midair, the crew is unable to land anywhere due to fears of viral transmission. South Korean Transport Minister Sook-hee Kim, alongside a crisis management team, works tirelessly to coordinate the safe retrieval of the airplane. An infected aircraft poses public and international pressures, making retrieval efforts even more complex as multiple countries refuse to provide the infected aircraft a landing space.
Government officials are making political, ethical, and emotional decisions while the drama inside the aircraft continues to unfold. The psychological strain of fear and dwindling resources breeds terror, and infected individuals add to the already tense atmosphere with their infection.
With each passing moment as hope withers away, extraordinary yet desperate decisions must be made to curb the rapid outbreak. A collective effort from both the officials and the stranded passengers is required to devise a solution to land the aircraft safely. As lives hang in the balance and fuel being scarce, retrieving the plane requires radical and unprecedented measures, landing the plane under unthinkable circumstances.
Song Kang-ho as Gu In-ho: A veteran investigator who uncovers a bioterrorist plot on the verge of boarding a plane with his wife and daughter. His resolve prompts him to ground clock-management issues. This drive directly shapes the investigation conducted while the plane is in the air.
Lee Byung-hun as Park Jae-hyuk: A former pilot struggling with a traumatic incident from his past. Although he initially does not want to assist the flight crew, he eventually musters the courage to aid them during the emergency.
Jeon Do-yeon as Kim Sook-hee: The Transport Minister of South Korea responsible for managing the national response to the crisis. She balances her political obligations with her human empathy.
Kim Nam-gil as Choi Hyun-soo: The co-pilot of the aircraft who is under extreme pressure while trying to respond to the emergency.
Im Si-wan as Ryu Jin-seok: The antagonist, a calm yet chilling former researcher who creates a virus and unleashes it on society as vengeance.
Kim So-jin as Kim Hee-jin: A flight attendant who comforts and mobilizes the passengers towards selfless bravery.
Park Hae-joon as Park Tae-su: A senior official who works with Minister Kim to manage the crisis.
Production and Style
Emergency Declaration is a film by Han Jae-rim, who began its production in 2020. Despite setbacks brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, filming was fully completed by the end of the year. The movie has extensive production value, including a fully constructed airplane set, grade A special effects, and intense aerial sequences.
The focus is on emotional and realistic engagement. The camera captures an acute sense of claustrophobia and tension in airplane scenes that capture passengers faces. In contrast, ground scenes reveal larger politically charged spaces where ethical dilemmas unfold. The juxtaposition of the suffocating the cabin and expansive decision making rooms highlights the gap between people suffering through the crisis the reality of the situation, and those who are remote from it but are responsible for policies that shape the outcome.
While the mix of shot audio and score creates emotional weight during the film, it is edited in such a way that the dialogue and action play seamlessly build to a combination of in air and ground hopelessness culminating in catastrophe.
Themes and Analysis
Pandemic Paranoia and Global Anxiety
Although the film was conceptualized prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, its release align with a global health crisis resonates deeply with contemporary audiences. The narrative encapsulates public hysteria, propaganda, governmental ambiguity, and sociocultural stigma around illness all of which were prevalent during the outbreak.
Leadership and Responsibility
The film examines leadership under pressure through the lens of characters such as Minister Kim and Detective Gu. The individuals confront a dreadful conundrum where they have to make life-and-death decisions about sustaining lives on an airplane vis-a-vis protecting the nation’s interests.
Fear vs. Compassion
The film depicts the extremes of compassion and fear, noted with the infected airplane’s refusal to land in Allied airports. The flight attendants along with the passengers who aided in making the airplane operate with a semblance of normality and the eventual moves by the government to bring the flight home also showcased compassion.
Heroism in Everyday People
Emergency Declaration highlights the heroism of ordinary personnel such as flight attendants, pilots, and government employees doing their humble, yet crucial roles to aid survival, embracing the notion that everyone can act heroically.
Reception and Box Office
Emergency Declaration’s overall reception was positive, with audiences praising its high-tension atmosphere, emotional depth, and the realistic representation of crises. Their reaction further noted the performances given by Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Im Si-wan, commending the depth the actors brought to their multifaceted characters.
The film performed well at the box office in South Korea, leading the domestic charts both in box office earnings and audience numbers during its opening week. Although there were lingering concerns about audiences attending cinemas in person, the film garnered one of the year’s most talked-about releases due to its alignment with pandemic experiences.
While the pacing and runtime received some criticism, the cast’s emotional performances strongly conveyed the film’s themes, allowing it to stand out among its contemporaries. Still, the film’s narrative was likened to other films within the disaster genre.
Conclusion
Blending high-stakes action with moral complexity, Emergency Declaration captures the harrowing consequences of a disaster-beckoning thriller. For instance, the depiction of an airborne biotechnology terrorism attack magnifies unparalleled dilemmas associated with leadership, self-sacrifice, and the fragility of human endurance. Striking a balance between global-scale issues and human-scale narratives positions the film as both thought-provoking and exhilarating.
Marked by raw authenticity, superlative acting, and real-world socio-political context, Emergency Declaration is rich in tension, covering not only the thrill of anticipation, but also critique of socio-political reactions under duress. The film deftly tackles the perilous balance between fear-mongering and humanitarian action during times of unparalleled crisis, presenting audiences with a lasting appeal of worldwide unity and resilience.
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