by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden
In their “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s Korean thriller You Will Die in 6 Hours from director Lee Yun-seok — adapted from the book 6-jikan Go ni Kimi wa Shinu by Takano Kazuaki — which screens as part of Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.
Synopsis
A stranger named JunWoo (Jaehyun) approaches JeongYun (Park JuHyun) and suddenly says that he saw her future of being stabbed to death in 6 hours on her 30th birthday. She doubts his words but soon follows him to find out the murderer to avoid death. However, as they go deeper into the case, she realizes Jun-woo was the key to recent serial killings. Now she is left with the question of whether he is the savior of her life or the devil trying to set her up. Can she survive her fate of death in six hours?
The Good
Joseph: You Will Die in 6 Hours is a serviceable slow-burner watch that plays more like a drama with genre-film elements than an all-out, fast-paced thriller. Protagonist JeongYun serves as a solid character in peril who also provides commentary on social issues involving the difficulties of twentysomething Koreans in finding work that affords them a decent living on their own, especially regarding women and the exploitation in which some can become involved. Park stands out as JeongYun, providing a richly realized portrayal of the character, showing a wide range of emotions and giving perhaps the strongest reason to watch the film.
Mike: Tackling a well-worn “race against the clock” trope is both a safe and gutsy move. Safe because it gives you plenty of examples from cinematic history from which to draw from, but gutsy because you run the risk of heading into cliché territory if you draw that hourglass down to just a few grains of sand before the final bell tolls. Lee Yun-seok does an admirable job with You Will Die in 6 Hours in attempting to find a balance and delivers a fairly dramatic and solid thriller.
The acting is the strongest part of the film sits with Park JuHyun who does a fine job in her role as the young woman who has been targeted by fate’s finger of death.
The Bad
Joseph: Despite the time deadline in the film’s title, it’s a pretty slow crawl to the climax and a rather predictable one. Chung Young’s screenplay doesn’t offer a lot of originality — the trope of someone envisioning another person’s death before it happens is a common one in genre films, and the “countdown to find one’s killer” trope is as old as 1949’s classic film noir D.O.A., at least. Multiple red herrings don’t disguise the fact that it’s rather obvious early on who the killer is and who it isn’t, taking away from any building of suspense. Jaehyun isn’t given much to do, as his character is the chestnut of the handsome oddball who displays little emotion, though he does get to show more of his acting skills toward the climax.
Mike: There’s slow burn and then there’s no burn and unfortunately You Will Die in 6 Hours falls into the latter category. The pacing of the film feels like it’s a television drama, stretched out to fill its allotted time. To be fair, nothing seems padded - all of the scenes struck me as being important - although some trimming could have been done here and there. Keeping with the TV drama line of thought, a little re-working of the plot and this could have almost been an episode of a show featuring the JunWoo character who has to stop someone from dying each episode.
The Verdict
Joseph: You Will Die in 6 Hours feels like a mildly exciting quasi-thriller aimed at a mainstream Korean audience. There’s nothing wrong with that, and for viewers less familiar with genre-movie fare, its bluffs should work better, while seasoned genre-film viewers will find the pacing a bit of a formulaic crawl. Recommended mostly for fans of the main cast members and of Korean dramas.
Mike: If you’re an insomniac who is a fan of movies with a countdown to death/doom/destiny (of which there are tens of dozens, ranging from Back to the Future to X-Files: Fight the Future), then You Will Die in 6 Hours should find a way into your watch list. While it’s (arguably too) slow, it IS a solid film with some great acting and a fun premise.
You Will Die in 6 Hours
Directed By: Lee YunSeok
Written By: Chung Young, Takano Kazuaki
Starring: Jaehyun, Park JuHyun, Kwak SiYang
Run Time: 1h 31m
Rating: NR
Release Date: July 6, 2024
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