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Escape

Escape

Fear a meaningless life, not death itself.

20247.21h 36m

Overview

After completing his required decade of military service and being honored as a hero, a North Korean sergeant makes a sudden shocking attempt to defect to the South, risking life and limb for the chance to finally determine his own destiny.

Directed by Lee Jong-pil
Written by Kwon Sung-hui, Kim Woo-geun, Lee Jong-pil
Produced by Park Un-kyoung
Box Office0Revenue: $13.4M

Top Cast

Lee Je-hoon

Lee Je-hoon

Lim Kyu-nam

Koo Kyo-hwan

Koo Kyo-hwan

Lee Hyun-sang

Hong Xa-bin

Hong Xa-bin

Kim Dong-hyuk

Seo Hyun-woo

Seo Hyun-woo

Major Cha

Lee Sung-wook

Lee Sung-wook

Lieutenant Hong

Yoo Tae-joo

Yoo Tae-joo

Captain Ryu

Jung Jun-won

Jung Jun-won

Second Lieutenant Park

Jang Young-nam

Jang Young-nam

Dong-hyuk's Mother

Song Kang

Song Kang

Min Sun-woo

Esom

Esom

Nomad Leader

Themes & Keywords

desertiondmznorth korean defectorkorean armyinter-korean relationsnorth korean

About Escape

Escape is a action, drama, thriller film released in 2024 exploring themes of desertion, dmz, north korean defector, korean army, inter-korean relations, north korean. Directed by Lee Jong-pil, it stars Lee Je-hoon, Koo Kyo-hwan, Hong Xa-bin. After completing his required decade of military service and being honored as a hero, a North Korean sergeant makes a sudden shocking attempt to defect to the South, risking life and limb for the chance to finally determine his own destiny.

Movies Similar to Escape

Discover titles like Escape — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to Escape

If you enjoyed Escape, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of Escape.

Joint Security Area
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Two North Korean soldiers are killed in the border area between North and South Korea, prompting an investigation by a neutral body. The sergeant is the shooter, but the lead investigator, a Swiss-Korean woman, receives differing accounts from the two sides.

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Steel Rain(2017)

Movie7.1/10

Amid a coup, a North Korean agent escapes south with the country's injured leader in an attempt to keep him alive and prevent a Korean war.

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Poongsan(2011)

Movie6.0/10

Poongsan has the unenviable - and death-defying - job of delivering messages across the North and South Korean border to separated families. When South Korean government agents ask him to smuggle in In-ok, the lover of a high-ranking North Korean defector, into the South, the damsel and rescuer fall in love instead.

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Take Point(2018)

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On the day of the U.S. presidential election in 2024, a team of elite mercenaries embark on a secret CIA mission to abduct North Korea's politician in an underground bunker below the Korean Demilitarized Zone. However, they get caught in the crossfire which causes tensions to escalate to the brink of World War III.

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North Korea's 8th Special Forces hijack a shipment of CTX, a potent new liquid explosive, and threatens South Korea as part of a plot to re-unify the two countries. Ryu and Lee, special agents of O.P., South Korea's secret intelligence service, attempt to track down the terrorists and find the CTX. Meanwhile Hee, the 8th's ultra-bad female sniper, resurfaces to wreak havoc and haunt Ryu.

Silmido
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Silmido(2003)

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On 31 January 1968, 31 North Korean commandos infiltrated South Korea in a failed mission to assassinate President Park Chung-hee. In revenge, the South Korean military assembled a team of 31 criminals on the island of Silmido to kill Kim Il-sung for a suicide mission to redeem their honor, but was cancelled, leaving them frustrated. It is loosely based on a military uprising in the 1970s.

The Net
28% Match

The Net(2016)

Movie7.4/10

A poor North Korean fisherman finds himself an accidental defector, and is groomed to be a spy by an ambitious South Korean military officer.

The Front Line
27% Match

In 1951 ceasefire is declared, but two remaining armies fought their final battle on the front line Towards the end of the Korean War, a South Korean battalion is fiercely battling over a hill on the front line border against the North in order to capture a strategic point that would determine the new border between two nations. The ownership of this small patch of land would swap multiple times each day. Kang is dispatched to the front line in order to investigate the tacit case that’s been happening there.

In Our Prime
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Ji-woo, an outcast at a prestigious private school, meets Hak-sung, the school janitor who is actually a mathematical genius who defected from North Korea.

Crossing
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Crossing(2008)

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Yong-soo is an ex-soccer player who lives in a small coal-mine village in North Korea with his wife and young son, Joon. Although living in extreme poverty like many other families in North Korea, the family is happy just to be with each other. Then one day, Yong-soo's pregnant wife becomes critically ill. Let alone medicine, Yong-soo can't even find food for her in North Korea. So he decides to secretly cross the border to China hoping to find the medicine for his wife.

Confidential Assignment
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When a crime organization from North Korea crosses borders and enters South Korean soil, a South Korean detective must cooperate with a North Korean detective to investigate their whereabouts.