TUNNEL is an exemplary addition to the South Korean disaster movie genre and the best I've seen of that genre thus far. The reason it's so good is that the story is small-scale and centred on a single character, so that you really get drawn into his situation and feel for him. In the hands of the excellent actor Ha Jung-woo he's a thoroughly sympathetic protagonist which is a rare thing these days. Jung-woo has played a killer in THE CHASER, a desperate assassin in THE YELLOW SEA, a spy in THE BERLIN FILE and now an ordinary guy in this, and he's been remarkably different in each instance, unrecognisable in fact, which is the mark of a truly great actor. TUNNEL focuses on single-location thrills but keeps the story moving with scenes on the outside which are actually interesting for a change, alongside twists and turns throughout you'll never see coming. The CGI is kept to a minimum and realism is high, making this all the more tense. As with most Korean thrillers, there's heavy satire present used to depict the incompetence of Korean officials, leading to some very funny moments. Doona Bae adds heart to boot. It's a great little film when put together.
Review of Tunnel
