Good News Review
Director: Byun Sung-hyun
Date Created: 2025-10-17 16:33
4.5
Good News Review: Directed by Byun Sung-hyun, Gut Nuiuseu is a gripping Netflix Korean movie that turns a real-life hijacking into a darkly humorous exploration of power, ego, and humanity. The movie features Sul Kyung-gu as Nobody, Hong Kyung as Lieutenant Seo Go-myung, Ryu Seung-beom as Park Sang-hyeon and Kasamatsu Sho as Denji. With its subtle combination of satire and suspense, the movie turns a true-life 1970s calamity into an examination of how individuals in authority too often lose sight of their duty.
Good News Review
The story of 굿뉴스 begins with the suspenseful hijacking of Japan’s Flight 351, orchestrated by a band of radical young activists. Their aim is to reach out to North Korea, and that will spark a socialist revolution. What ensues is not just a political thriller; it’s a twist-of-the-knife story in which bureaucrats, soldiers and common people prove to be something different. As the Korean film Good News unspools, we’re treated to mayhem, a state of disarray and surprising humour that defy our normal concept of what makes a hero.
Byun Sung-hyun’s direction impresses at every turn in the movie. He doesn’t narrate the story like a usual incident-based drama but in a way that is most dramatisations of a crisis would; he creates an upbeat world in which everything is irony and movement. It careens along at lightning speed, one moment seriously focused, the next crazy.
The movie is composed of several chapters, each having its own rhythm and flavour. The first half races along like the frantic staccato of an angry rollercoaster, one from which you can barely get your breath back. The second half plods, getting bogged down in a debate and power struggle that lay bare politics’ very ugliness. Personally, I enjoyed this structure; it’s actually Nerve-wracking to constantly wonder who the real power is.
The highlight of what I enjoyed about the Netflix movie Good News is how it balances humour and suspense. The movie never loses focus on the fact that it’s operating under a matter of life and death, but it has the temerity to chuckle at those in control of it. It’s ridiculous and Clouseau-esque at the same time to have ministers squabbling over hare-brained schemes while other individuals’ lives are at stake. It brought home to me that real governments, even today, are more about image than people. That is why this movie is ageless.
The dialogue is fine, and sometimes secretly zippy. The script has a level of consciousness that pleases you but also leaves you to ponder. I could sense that the director was attempting to do something greater than entertain; he wished to hold up a mirror to our world. The characters, particularly “Nobody” and Seo Go-myung, are two very contrasting sides of duty. One is cunning and evasive, the other genuine and brave. Seeing how they influenced the hostages’ fate taught me that in times of crisis, the quiet ones pay a particularly high price.
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Good News is visually perfect. Every shot appears to be carefully staged; the lighting, the sets, the angles converge in that movie glamour which happens to be a rarity. It’s that precision that makes you believe in this rather far-fetched but very real world. I also enjoyed the editing — in the first half, it is very fast and inventive and then grinds when it needs to grind, so that the feelings can set in. The tension is heightened by the sound effects and music, which also serve to draw out the general playful tone of the film.
In the performances, I was most impressed with Hong Kyung. His performance when acting Seo Go-myung, a youthful officer torn between order and ethics, was so human. And then there is the moment when he is going towards the aeroplane to offer himself as a sacrificial lamb to prevent disaster, and I was floored by that. You felt his fear, his courage and bewilderment all at once. Sul Kyung-gu as Nobody brings another flavour, he is fast, clever and magical. These two, the conscientious and the ambitious, make for a compelling pair. Both of the guest stars, whether Ryu Seung-beom’s commanding officer or Kasamatsu Sho’s idealistic hijacker, add to the story’s compelling anarchy.
Gut Nuiuseu also leaves you, emotionally, conflicted. It’s funny, but unsettling. Its absurdity made me laugh, but it felt like, other times, what it was saying had meaning. Beneath all the wit and the visual eccentricity, the movie raises tough questions — about power, religion, and what the right thing to do is. And it reminded me that true heroes don’t necessarily receive medals or parades. Sometimes they simply get up and quietly walk away, having done what they did because that’s the right thing to do.
The conclusion of Good News was poignant and significant. It’s not a victory party; it’s a modest tribute to sacrifice. It is proof that the truth in politics is often overwhelmed by the cacophony of momentum and credit. I appreciated that the movie did not have to sanctify all. Instead, it revealed how fragile and selfish human beings can be, even when everyone believes that they should be the strong. But through all that chaos, there is still a little glimmer of light that some human beings will still chase humanity at the expense of pride, men and women like Seo.
If I were to fault, it would be that the latter half wasn’t maybe as taut. Some of the scenes are just a bit too long. But really, this does not detract from it much. The film’s confidence, its blend of history and fantasy, let alone its sense of humour, have made it one of the most stimulating Korean films I’ve seen in some time.
Korean Movie Good News Review: Summing Up
Ultimately, Netflix’s Good News is more than a political satire; it’s evidence of how ridiculous and yet inspiring human beings are. It’s funny, emotional and visually engaging. It is must must-watch because it’s fun as well as thought-inspiring at the same time.
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