Wall to Wall review: Korean psychological thriller starring Kang Ha-neul tumbles under weight of twists and turns

South Korean actor Kang Ha-neul is back again to entertain his fans, but not with a romantic drama or a comedic movie this time. This psychological thriller titled Wall to Wall, which finally premiered on OTT platform Netflix, is helmed by Kim Tae-joon and is dark and claustrophobic at the same time, which one would want to get out of the loop, but is unable to without any help.

Plot of Wall to Wall

The scene begins in 2021, with Woo-sung (played by Kang Ha-neul), who is seen rushing towards a real estate building in which he desperately secures a dream home, but at a cost more than his estimated budget. But, the house turns out to be roughly a 904 square foot property. With several loans and a mortgage, he finally buys the home.

The scene then turns to Woo Sung working in the office, and is already in a small scene (flashback) that he was previously engaged, but never discusses, as it is a very touchy topic for him. Drowning in debt and to save money, he lives without electricity, which also includes sleeping without a fan to an extent. The nature of lenders, the endless debate of renting, buying, and the collapse of the housing market, make it more realistic.

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With constant banging and arguments with neighbours regarding this, the situation escalates, and then begins the game of cat and mouse. Slowly, dark secrets unfold one by one, and it is revealed that the owners of the building take bribes from every high-profile person, but use them for their benefit and build houses in a cheaper way, so that the expenses won't be burdensome for the tenants who reside there.

Why Kang Ha-neul's Wall to Wall is a one-time watch?

The first half of Wall to Wall will make one sit on the edge. With every upcoming scene, it would make it unpredictable and would make one think what is going to happen next. The suspense is to an extent, in anyone who would have been in the situation of the lead actor, would have been driven to madness trying to solve the problem.

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And when things finally reach a point and all things come to an understanding, that's when the end becomes abrupt and would confuse anyone watching it. The end part became more complicated than it already was.

Could Wall to Wall have been better than what was shown?

Yes! When the secret was uncovered, the plot could have revealed more about this matter and shown that the post knew the culprit. The plot went haywire when Woo Sung lands in the hospital and leaves to stay with his mother in the countryside place. After the blast, what happened to the other tenants? Why police was the police not shown and investigated? How come the flat was once again rebuilt within a short duration? Or was it the imagination of Woo Sung? Whether the director intentionally left it for the audience to ponder upon or it is a shortfall of the story, that only the director can explain.

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The almost 2-hour movie could have more than what was shown. With dark scenes, it seemed claustrophobic, and from Woo Sung's point of view, it gave goosebumps at the beginning.

Is Wall to Wall worth watching?

Well, the film features Kang Ha-neul, of course, I guess fans of his would love to explore and watch this genre. With his recent rom-com drama Tastefully Yours, which was released recently, he has done a total 360 turn performance with this genre.

With his disheveled look, unlike his other work, and enacting the role of a poor, greedy character, is something I haven't seen him play in quite some time. Although the film is lacking in some places, Kang Ha-neul has delivered his best performance in this genre and would be looking forward to more with him playing these kinds of thriller roles.

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Wall to Wall, helmed by Kim Tae-joon, released on July 18, also stars Seo Hyun-woo, Yeom Hye-ran, and Liz Burnette among others. It is currently streaming on Netflix.