Flu

Flu
Released by: CJ Entertainment
Released on: March 18th, 2014.
Director: Kim Sung-su
Cast: Jang Hyuk, Soo-Ae, Park Min-ha
Year: 2013
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The Movie:

South Korean director Kim Sung-su's first directorial effort in a decade, 2013's Flu takes a frighteningly real premise and runs with it in interesting ways. The premise is that a group of illegal immigrants from China are smuggled into Bundang, just outside of Seoul, in a shipping container. When the container arrives, all inside are dead save for one man infected with a strain of avian flu. This man escapes and goes on the run. One of the men who opened the container is the first to contract the virus, and his infection quickly proves fatal. From there, the virus evolves and becomes increasingly more dangerous as it spreads across the heavily populated area.

Understandably the citizenry of Bundang begins to panic. The government has to step in and essentially quarantine the city, but with almost half a million people living there, that won't be easy. A doctor named Kim In-hae (Soo Ae) works as quickly as she can with her team in hopes of finding a cure. Her efforts are not entirely selfless as her daughter, Mirre (Park Min-ha), has recently become infected as well. Meanwhile, a rescue worker named Kang Jigu (Jang Hyuk) pulls double duty and helps everyone he is able to, including Kim In-hair and Mirre but as those under quarantine begin to push back against the government's military lockdown, tensions rise and things start to look very bleak indeed…

There are a few unnecessarily melodramatic moments here but those fleeting instances pushed aside, Flu is an effective and smart thriller, the kind that keeps you glued to the edge of your seat like a good suspense story should. The premise is simple yet one we're all familiar with at this point and the fact that something like this really could happen in a densely populated urban area adds to the dramatic tension that Kim Sung-su skillfully creates as the story unfolds. Adding to this is the scope that we see on the screen. As the government comes in and creates the quarantine camps that are quickly put under military rule, we see all of this unfold - the barbed wire, the haz-mat suits, the armed personal and of course, the effects of those touched by the virus. The increasingly helplessness of it all paints a bleak picture of a chilling scenario, but of course, we get just enough of the human element from the believably written characters to ensure that we don't completely give up hope.

The performances are strong across the board. Soo Ae plays her doctor as concerned but determined. She's smart but also understandably very concerned about her daughter. On the flip side is Jigu, the 'hero' of the story in the more traditional sense. He's noble and somehow able to retain a levelheadedness that we wish all first responder types could. Jang Hyuk plays him well, he's human and prone to all that entails, but likeable and the kind of character that the audience easily cheers for. There are a few pacing issues here and there and a few scenes involving various government officials that are just too talky to not slow things down a bit but otherwise Flu proves to be an impressive film, one that's both well-made and at times genuinely unnerving.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Flu arrives on DVD in a nice looking transfer framed at 2.35.1. Detail is strong as is texture and color reproduction, when not intentionally tweaked for artistic effect (you'll notice this in a few scenes), generally looks nice and realistic. Skin tones are nice and natural looking here, no obvious waxiness by way of noise reduction to complain about, while black levels are strong if not quite reference quality. There aren't any issues with compression artifacts or noticeable edge enhancement and all in all, the movie fares very well in high definition.

The primary mix here is a Korean Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix, but alternate tracks are provided in Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. Optional subtitles are provided in English only. Just as you'd expect from a recent movie with some decent action sequences, this is a fairly aggressive track with some impressively enveloping moments. Good directional effects are present throughout playback and the levels remain nicely balanced as well. There are no problems with hiss or distortion and all in all, things sound quite good here.

The best extra on the disc is a fairly extensive making of documentary that brings us behind the scenes of the production and which offers some interesting insight into the design work and the efforts that went into staging some of the more intense aspects of the production. There are a few deleted scenes, a still gallery, menus and chapter selection included as well.

The Final Word:

Flu is occasionally a bit too melodramatic and contrived for its own good but it gets enough right to stand as a worthy entry in the 'epidemic' movie cannon and as such, it's worth seeing. There's some sold drama and tension here and the visuals are typically strong as are the performances. The DVD from CJ Entertainment is a solid representation of the movie and offers up the feature in good quality with some supplements.