Exit (Movie Review)

Exit is one of those films that I didn't think I would be watching. From the posters, it seemed very unclear what the film was aiming to accomplish. Yes, the casting of Jo Jung-suk a certain extent of quality, but knowing how he dabbles with genres, I had the idea in my head that this film would probably be a hit or miss experience for me. Well... It was a hit.


I came to a realisation this week - to some extent, it was something I already knew, so I suppose it was less of a 'realisation' and more of a clarification. If you sit out on a movie because it falls into a genre you don't like, you're missing out on the parts you will like. In other words, there is no genre so specific that every piece of media that falls into it will be identical. I avoid horror movies because I just can't stand gore, but that doesn't necessarily mean I wouldn't enjoy the thrills they implement or the clever psychological games. I also sometimes avoid historical movies for fear they will become rooted in politics I know nothing of, but that means I'm missing out on experiencing a distinctly different time and all the wonderful nuances that society may have. Watching Exit this week made me realise that there are elements of disaster movies I can applaud even though I actively avoid the genre.
  It's very hard to describe what Exit is, to be honest, because it subtly refuses to be confined to the classic idea of a disaster movie. Whilst it operates under that classic framework, in which an unlikely hero will step up in the face of a crisis, the film plays around this from the start. For one thing, it establishes that the plot is secondary to the characters - Exit is not-so-secretly about family politics, which are brought to a head in the face of danger. And they want you to know it - the disaster doesn't hit until half an hour in, giving us plenty of time to explore this central family and their complex relationships.
  A poisonous gas spreads across Seoul, burning the skin and causing asphyxiation for the poor souls caught within it, it is only an unemployed young man who feels constantly attacked within his own home who is capable of getting his family to safety. And in that sense, it is this family and their ardent love for each other despite of their misgivings, that is truly the conflict of the film.
  Exit is also unapologetically funny, it doesn't take itself seriously. I feel like that is by no mistake due to the excellent chemistry between Jo Jung-suk and leading-lady Yoona (who, by the way, is improved as an actor every time I see her). The two of them are a pair to root for, and boy did I - with every obstacle they faced and overcame, I was increasingly invested in their survival. The movie thrives in the back half; as the situation becomes more and more hopeless, the pacing increases until it hits breaking plot, and I was immersed completely. Exit didn't necessarily have something important to say, but it went to painstaking effort to give its viewers a good time.

Overall, it's easy to say that I liked Exit for the ways in which it wasn't a disaster film, but that isn't true. Rather, through creative and inspired means, Exit served to convince me of why I should be watching more disaster films. The hook was in the actors and the tone, sure, but undoubtedly the best part of the film was the adrenaline-fuelled puzzle-solving second half. The joy and excitement I felt in watching this race to the sky is what will make Exit a film I will remember.