As far as high concept thrillers go, Kim Bong-joo's debut effort “The Phone” probably falls somewhere in the middle. An undeniable commercial success (it debuted with a 31.8% market share, toppling Ridley Scott's “The Martian” from the apex of domestic box-offices), it is consistently intriguing, and seamlessly navigates the reefs of the fantasy genre film without stumbling into tropes, even if it does rely on one almost blindly suspending one's disbelief throughout.
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At the heart of the movie is Ko Dong-ho (Son Hyun-joo), an ex-lawyer who has decided to tackle a higher-paid position at a pharmaceutical firm. Mildly unreliable in the opening act, he chooses social drinking over his family to celebrate his newfound success, ignoring a phone-call from his wife Jo Yeon-soo (Uhm Ji-won), who has gotten into a car crash. As it turns out, these choices prove to be fatal, as Dong-ho's apathetic response to his wife's plea ultimately leaves her vulnerable, whereby she is murdered in a mismanaged robbery.
As time moves on, Ko becomes depressed, struggling to deal with the burdens of raising his daughter alone and permanently pre-occupied with attempting to solve the mystery of his wife's killing. However, he is soon afforded an unlikely opportunity after a year has passed, receiving a phone-call from his wife, seemingly from the day of the murder, acting as if nothing had happened. From here, the narrative shifts, and the previously unreliable husband drops everything to attempt to save her, and put an end to his escalating misery.
For the most part, “The Phone” achieves its aim, and thoroughly thrills its audience. Although conceptually outlandish, Kim Bong-joo still manages to give some level of grounded nuance to his screenplay, and syringes it with characters who are frequently relatable. There are no unnecessary changes to the plot's progression either, with the bulk of the more crucial twists and introductions given to the viewer in the opening half of the movie. Consequently, the pace of the story moves at a swift speed, zipping along its key set-pieces and revelations with a relative comfort, and ensuring that whoever is watching is seldom led into an unenviable lull.
Continuing, the strength of the main cast aids “The Phone” in achieving its lofty ambitions. Headed by Son Hyun-joo, who himself expertly depicts a man who falls from the rungs of the elite into an archetypal everyman, the small ensemble offers plenty of substance behind their performances. Sympathetic but still marginally unforgivable, it is the aforementioned Son's showing which stands out most prominently, emphasised dramatically by his sublime use of facial expressions and tonal shifts whenever his character is made to suffer, or faces a new hardship. Similarly, Uhm Ji-won proves an astute addition to the film, with her role as the seemingly hapless wife Jo Yeon-soo always compelling. Praise for that ought to be awarded to Kim Bong-joo, as he allows his female lead room to breathe, giving her more to do than just aid in redeeming her man's fatal error.
Technically, Kim's production is decent too, benefiting from sharp editing as the movie crisply moves between past and present, as well as cogent choreography for the numerous action scenes. Thus, whilst Kim Young-min's cinematography is nothing overly dynamic, nor desirably risky, there are a plethora of other elements which help bolster the fantasy thriller's technical execution.
In conclusion, “The Phone” is an excellent debut effort from Kim Bong-joo. It may be marred by a plot which is bafflingly confusing once pondered on perceptively, but in terms of genuine enjoyment, this is a genre-film worth further than just a passing glance.
