Decibel ~ A Bomber Who Feels Righteous and Justified

“Decibel” is a Korean drama movie, released in 2022, and categorized as Action, Thriller, and Political Drama.

♦ A Cover-Up Can Make a Person Very Angry

“Decibel” is everybody’s worst nightmare. There is nothing worse than having an angry person who feels that he or someone he loved has been wronged and they decide to set off a bomb to get everybody’s attention. If one bomb gets you focused, how about several bombs?

In “Decibel”, a military officer receives a phone call and the person tells him to CHOOSE! There are two bombs placed in public places. EXAMPLE: There is a bomb at a public pool and one at a children’s playground. Choose the place where you don’t want the bomb to go off!  What kind of choice is that?

The bomber repeats the event but at different public locations like a crowded stadium where people are enjoying a game. The bomber tells the officer if he tries to get them to evacuate the stadium, he’ll set off the bomb!  What do you do? You want to scream “BOMB!” but if you do, a crowd of people could die.

Do you think that’s bad?  It gets worse!

• Suppose your spouse is a bomb disposal expert and the bomber tells you to choose. He can set off the bomb at the location your wife was called to defuse the bomb. Or you can choose the other place with the other bomb and let everybody there get blown up instead.  What kind of choice is that?

Can it get worse?  YES!!

• Suppose while you’re trying to decide which lives to save, you get a photo of your child. Your child has been kidnapped and if you don’t do what the bomber says they will kill your child.

When the storyline begins unfolding, the viewer is immediately angry. The more the plot develops, the angrier the viewer gets. A viewer like me. Maybe another viewer would empathize or sympathize with the bomber.

But if this were real, as opposed to fiction, I, the viewer, am not willing to empathize, sympathize, or even try to understand the bomber’s reasoning and purpose.

• It doesn’t matter if the bomber is a sadistic serial killer with no heart who just likes blowing stuff up!
• It doesn’t matter if the bomber is mentally ill and can’t distinguish between right and wrong. (Albeit it could be a mitigating factor.)
• It doesn’t matter if the bomber feels like he or she has a righteous cause and this is the only way they can get justice.

None of that matters. The only thing that matters is a crowd of innocent people – men. women, and/or children – might have to die because one person decided that’s how to resolve “the problem”. It’s what they “want” … not NEED … WANT! Whatever it is they THINK will settle “the matter” .. a mass killing is perfectly OK to accomplish their goal.

I. the viewer, am not cool with that!

As the storyline of “Decibel” progresses you get to know the two main characters very well. The bomber and the person the bomber is communicating with.

• Do they have a relationship with each other?
• Is it a professional or personal relationship?
• What does the bomber want?
• Is it necessary for innocent people to die?

♦ If you’re wondering why the film was titled “Decibel”.

A decibel (dB) is a unit used to measure the intensity of sound and other physical quantities. It’s named after Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. Background music usually produces a sound intensity of about 60 decibels. (Source)

In the movie, if the sound reached 100 decibels, the bomb would go off! So imagine being at a stadium with everybody cheering loudly. The noisy sounds of the crowd can reach 100 decibels. And then … KABOOM!! Imagine if you’re in a building, nobody screams, but somebody hits the alarm bell. KABOOM!!

Main Characters:

• Cha Woo Jin (played by Kim Rae Won, “The First Responders 1 and 2”, “L.U.C.A.: The Beginning”)
• Jeong Yeon (played by Lee Da Hee, “W: Two Worlds Apart”, “Pinocchio”)

Where to Watch: Free Movies on Tubi TV

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 6.1 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.1 out of 10 stars
• Rotten Tomatoes: 3.5 out of 5 stars

My personal rating is the same as My Drama List.

• First I want to say: To the people who have a job as a bomb disposal expert … MUCH RESPECT TO YOU!! If there is ever a job where it would be better to replace a human with a robot … it’s the job of a bomb disposal expert.

That being said, “Decibel” is a K-drama series that makes you wonder how often people in official government positions and/or are serving in high military positions … COVER UP THE TRUTH.

In the USA there are often news reports about horrible accidents that occurred during training and our soldiers died. They didn’t get taken down by The Enemy. It was a horrible accident. But at least they inform the public. Yes, it’s sad and it makes you angry. But if my loved one was serving in the military and died before ever being on the front line, I want to know the truth about how they died. Don’t cover it up!

The two male leads in “Decibel” gave outstanding performances. The storyline was gripping and intense. The dangerous cat-and-mouse game had me holding my breath to The End.

“Decibel” is a must-watch for fans of action-packed thrillers and it left me thinking. I hope to never be in a situation like this. But to be honest, if somebody entered a crowded room and I was also in the room and said “Don’t try to leave or I’ll blow everybody up!” … I think I still might try to leave.

Perhaps while everybody is sitting down or standing up, I might see if I can get on my knees and try to crawl out, since nobody else is moving.  Hey! In situations like these, it’s every man for himself! To me, it’s a 50/50 chance. I might make it out alive but I won’t know if I don’t try.

What about you? What would you try to do?

LINKS OF INTEREST:

• Decibel Review: Lee Jongsuk & Cha Eunwoo Shine In Taut Action Thriller | ScreenRant
• Decibel Movie Review: This K-thriller works more because of strong human bonds than bombs | IndiaTimes
• [FILM REVIEW] Decibel (2022): A Fresh Spin on Action Films | The Seoul Story
• Decibel Review: A Brilliant Character Film Wrapped In Explosive Terror | Society Reviews

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

GVPictures. “DECIBEL | Launch Trailer, in Cinemas 1 December.” YouTube Video. YouTube, November 22, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md2xgv-ssS8.‌