“A desperate flight. A relentless pursuit.”
Escape (2024) plunges viewers into the heart of a nerve-shredding defection, where freedom is measured in inches and betrayal hides behind every shadow. Directed by Lee Jong-pil, the film follows Sergeant Lim Gyu-nam (Lee Je-hoon), a weary North Korean soldier on the brink of discharge, who makes the ultimate gamble: fleeing the regime for a life across the border.
When his plan is unexpectedly exposed by a junior soldier, what begins as a calculated move becomes a frantic chase. Assigned to stop him is Major Ri Hyeon-sang (Koo Kyo-hwan), a cold-blooded State Security officer whose loyalty to the regime is matched only by his obsession with order. As Gyu-nam crosses forests rigged with landmines, rivers patrolled by snipers, and allies who could turn traitor at any moment, every second becomes a battle against despair, exhaustion, and the relentless specter of capture.
Lee Je-hoon delivers one of his most visceral performances to date—raw, aching, and human—while Koo Kyo-hwan channels quiet menace into a pursuer who’s as intelligent as he is merciless. With striking cinematography capturing the tension of the DMZ’s no-man’s-land, Escape weaves action, psychological tension, and political urgency into a thriller that never lets up.
In a world where the price of freedom is everything, Escape asks: how far would you run to live?