Film Review: Good News
- Very Average Joe
- 2d
- 2 min read
English Title: Good News
Korean Title: 굿뉴스
Director(s): Byun Sung-hyun
Screenwriter(s): Byun Sung-hyun & Lee Jin-seong
Studio: Star Platinum
Released: 2025
Runtime: 2h 15m
Starring: Sul Kyung-gu, Hong Kyung, Ryoo Seung-bum, Yamada Takayuki, Kasamatsu Show
The premise is based on the real hijacking of Japan Air Lines Flight 351 in March 1970. The film is organized into five chapters, starting from the initial hijacking when a group of young and clueless Japanese communists take control of Japanese Ride Flight 351 after taking off from Tokyo. They demand to go to Pyongyang, North Korea. The pilots lie about their fuel status and so they land in Itazuke as originally intended.
As the Japanese authorities fail to rescue the hostages or keep the plane grounded in Itazuke, Japanese Ride Flight 351 takes off again. The South Korean authorities then make their attempt to deal with the crisis.
Enter an enigmatic expert fixer-spinner who calls himself “Nobody” (Sul Kyung-gu). He obviously has ties to the KCIA, particularly Director Park Sang-hyeon (Ryu Seung-beom). Nobody recruits Lt Seo Go-myung (Hong Kyung) due to his expertise in American radar systems. The plan is to convince the hijackers to land in South Korea whilst pretending to be North Korea.
Nobody and Seo Go-myung are mostly the viewpoint characters. The film can be considered a black comedy but is mostly satire.
Most of the drama and humor are about the misuse of authority and evading responsibility. For example, almost all of the Japanese and South Korean officials do not want to risk the lives of the hostages purely for selfish reasons. So, the plan is sometimes said to be Seo Go-myung’s idea or that he alone is the one breaking protocol, all this done under threat.
Another theme is truth and the perception thereof. Nobody almost never outright lies but he is adept at selectively emphasizing certain details or an angle when it suits him, including the media in order to manipulate public opinion.
Visually, it is nicely shot. There is good use of tight shots and unconventional angles to emphasize the tension. There is also the use of saturated colors common in Korean dramas and films. The transitions and film editing are executed with good comical effect, whether it is to the character’s thoughts and imagination or the absurd hard-cut.
The performances are solid as expected from a veteran cast even if they mostly rely on blatant overacting. The deadpan approach would work, but the bombast and apparent earnestness (sincere or insincere) are more fitting thematically. Nobody breaks the fourth wall occasionally and whilst it is appreciated that this technique is not overused, there could be a little more.
At a runtime of over two hours, the film is not short. Although it is appreciated that the progression is never rushed, the narrative can be tightened by a few minutes. Overall, the film is not intensely black and the satire can be more biting, nor is it laugh-out-loud from start to finish. Nevertheless, it is, on balance, consistent enough to be amusing and elicits chuckles throughout.
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