ESCAPE FROM MOGADISHU: WE ARE NOT ALONE

 

 

Far too often most people in the U.S. think that everything revolves around this country. It’s not always the case. There are people, issues, cultures, films and more that take place around the world on a daily basis. Unless there is some crisis in the world most here in the U.S. never think about that. I think it is because of this attitude that many do not expose themselves to what the rest of the world has to offer and that’s sad.

It’s sad because there is so much out there to see and be exposed to. And the easiest way to do so is through film. Movies from other countries are now readily available to U.S. audiences since the invention of the first VCT and more so now on disc. Well Go is a company that has been bringing quality product to the DVD/Blu-ray market for some time now. And not just martial arts movies, but solid dramatic films as well telling compelling stories. Like ESCAPE FROM MOGADISHU.

In 1991 South Korea is attempting to be recognized and welcomed into the United Nations. But they need the votes of several countries to gain that recognition. One of those countries is Somalia. Han Sin-seong is the chief ambassador to Somalia in the capital Mogadishu. Along with intelligence officer Dae-jin he is supposed to meet with the president of Somalia with gifts on hand that were requested. But on the way they are carjacked and the package is stolen.

Late for this meeting they find that their counterparts from North Korea led by Rim Yong-su are already meeting with the president. Han feels that he is responsible for this treachery and the attack on his vehicle. The truth is it was done by his intelligence officer, Tae Joon-ki. None of this will matter soon.

The corruption that runs rampant in Somalia leads both parties to contemplate more and more bribes in an effort to gain what they want. All of it is for naught as the people of Somalia revolt against the president and his regime. A revolution begins and there is blood in the streets as the people take over the city of Mogadishu, scouring the streets for the deposed president. And anyone in the streets is fair game.

Trapped in their embassy both the North and South Korean delegates find themselves in the midst of war. There is little protection for either embassy as the loyalties of those Somali guards are only as strong as your ability to pay them. Those revolting have no care about respecting embassies. And time is short before the airport will shut down and no one will be able to escape.

The first embassy to fall is the North Koreans who were lucky to escape before the building was breached. They appeal to the South Koreans for aid and it is Han who allows them in. Both Han and Rim know that the only way for them to escape is to work together but their intelligence officers find it hard to trust one another. Deals with other countries are made, rules are broken and the members of both countries unite to save one another. Who will and will not make it out and escape from Mogadishu though 

The film is a wonderful movie to watch capturing the reality of what was going on in Somalia and with both North and South Korea at the time. This isn’t fiction, this is a real life drama that unfolds from viewers to watch. The people were real, their story is real and the dangers that they face were real as well. While watching you can’t help but feel emotions for the danger that they were in and the losses that they faced.

The film also shows that those beliefs that other countries are not as adept at making films as the U.S. is on display as well. These are not the confined to a set using poor film stock movies of the past. The film is shot incredibly well, the sets and lighting top of the line and the acting carries well even in translation. All make this a fantastic movie to watch.

If you can tell a story in a compelling way, be it fact or fiction, and you can do using the technology and equipment that are now available worldwide then you have made a movie worth watching. It’s time viewers in the U.S. set aside pre-conceived notions about foreign films, stop thinking that everything must be dubbed (though it does help with this transition) and realize that subtitles are not a bad thing. Once you do that there is a whole world of film out there to explore and enjoy. And ESCAPE FROM MOGADISHU is a good place to begin.

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