Review: Political intrigue stirs South Korean thriller '1987: When the Day Comes'

Review: Political intrigue stirs South Korean thriller ‘1987: When the Day Comes’

By Robert Abele

Dec. 28, 2017 10:50 AM PT

Probably no one movie could capture the scope of citizens forcing regime change in a dictatorial country, but the South Korean feature “1987: When the Day Comes” valiantly tries in its own thriller-ish way.

It’s a fast-paced, multi-character epic centered on the seeds of the country’s democratic uprising 30 years ago, starting with the death of student activist Park Jong-chul while in the custody of the government’s powerful anti-communist squad, run by its torture-mad, ultra-patriotic leader Park (Kim Yoon-seok).

Director Jang Joon-hwan and writer Kim Kyung-chan whip through the story of a cover-up that never quite holds thanks to a series of actions taken by, in succession: a cynical, fed-up prosecutor (Ha Jung-woo) who insists on an autopsy in defiance of his superiors; an intrepid reporter (Lee Hee-jun) who writes up the findings; a sympathetic prison guard (Yoo Hai-jin) in secret contact with the state’s political enemies; and a female student (Kim Tae-ri) awakening to the fight for justice.

Keeping track of the myriad primary and secondary figures takes close attention, especially since Jang’s need for narrative speed precludes staying in one setting for too long. But there’s an admirable dot-connecting quality to “1987,” akin to HBO’s “The Wire,” as it wends from backroom scheming among powerful men to street riots starring an angry public, all while touching on the various institutions that need to push back if corrupt people in power are ever going to feel real heat.

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