By now, South Korean thrillers have cemented their place as reliable sources of entertainment. You can turn on almost any of their recent films and not get bored. Beyond a sense of thrill, these films often involve socio-political themes that question the status quo and criticize orthodox structures of all kinds. “Project Silence” (2024, Original title: “Talchul: Project Silence”) is a similar example that revolves around a disastrous accident on a foggy bridge that traps innocent civilians. Along the way, they realize a conspiracy that led them to this situation. The film was earlier screened at the Midnight Screening section in the Cannes Film Festival.
Spoilers Ahead
Project Silence (Talchul: Project Silence, 2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Directed by Han Ah Reum, “Project Silence” is a disaster thriller that follows a group of civilians fighting for their lives after they get caught up in a strange string of incidents on a foggy bridge that unearths a government conspiracy.
What is ‘Project Silence’ about?
“Project Silence” opens with a government meeting where Jeong Hyeon Baek (Kim Tae-woo), the NIS director at Blue House, gets bombarded with a recent national security-related debacle. His deputy, Cha Jeong Won (Lee Sun Kyun), offers him some help. So, the senior officials tell him to speak for himself. Being well-versed in the matter, he shares his neatly laid-out response without fear or shame. Later, it is revealed that he was standing up for the Blue House to win the upcoming elections. That way, Hyeon Baek will be the new president.
Jeong Won’s daughter, Gyeong Min (Kim Soo An), a young Korean rapper, plans to relocate to Australia to study music at their university. Therefore, Hyeon Baek offers him extra money to help with the initial expenses. While driving to take Gyeong Min for her flight, Jeong Won stops by a gas station. The station worker, Jo Park (Ju Ji Hoon) asks him to pay in cash citing a card reader issue. Jeong Won suspects that Jo Park is a truck driver and is tricking them into paying in cash. The man makes a swift getaway without settling the bill. Meanwhile, at the airport, professional golfer Sim Yu Ra (Park Ju Hyun) and her older sister, Mi Ran (Park Hee Bon), step into the bustling arrivals hall.
Mi Ran needs to drive Yu Ra back home to get her passport. Right after, Byeong Hak (Moon Sung Geun) gets out with his wife, Sun Ok (Ye Soo Jung), who suffers from dementia. She confuses Yu Ra with her cousin. Then, she suddenly starts walking toward the street. Yu Ra saves her just when a car is about to hit her.
The Foggy Bridge
While driving on a bridge, Mi Ran faces a thick layer of fog and gets concerned. Still, Yu Ra tells her to keep driving. Sun Ok and Byeong Hak take a bus that goes by the same bridge. Suddenly, every car on the road crashes into each other. Since no driver can clearly see what’s in front of them, they crash into each other and block the road. It also blocks Jeong Won and Gyeon Min on their journey. As Jeong Won stops his car, he notices two soldiers with a wounded man, Dr. Yang (Kim Hee Won). He offers Dr. Yang a seat in his car and then tries calling Heyon Baek for help.
By then, the soldiers notice one of their men brutally wounded inside their van. So, they decide to jam the cell signal so that no one can contact the outside world. Jeong Won realizes there is no network on his phone, just like others who are caught in a roadblock. On the side of the road, Gyeong Min notices a dog with blood on its forehead. She decides to offer it some food. Jeong Won notices that and protects her, worrying the dog might bite her. Then, he confronts the soldiers about the cell network troubles.
They do not respond. Instead, they cuff him to his own car. Then, the soldiers tell Dr. Yang to proceed with their operation. He begins the process on his laptop. Meanwhile, Jo Park’s boss at the station orders him to get the money that Jeong Won owes him. So, Jo Park starts driving in the same direction and gets caught in the same fog.
The Government Conspiracy
Once Dr Yang initiates his operation, a bunch of violent dogs start running through the streets, attacking any human they see. Then, a group of soldiers get down through a chopper but make things worse. Since the dogs wreak havoc, the people get inside a bus and lock it from the inside. Jeong Won crosses paths with Jo Park. Right after, he locks himself in his car with Gyeong Min, Dr. Yang, and Jo Park. People on the bridge cannot leave because of an intense fire. So, Jeong Won confronts Dr. Yang, who finally admits the truth about Project Silence and his contribution to it.
Dr. Yang reveals that they are being attacked by rescue dogs that were reprogrammed to respond to human voices by the military. The project was funded by the US and European countries to hunt down terrorists. The toxic gas surrounding them on the bridge is lethal. Hearing that, Jeong Won calls Hyeong Baek to ask about this project. Hyeong Baek claims he just learned about Project Silence. Moments later, Gyeong Min, Dr. Yang, and Jo Park escape the car and start rushing toward the bus. On a call, Jeong Won tells Hyeong Baek to dispatch a SWAT team and not a rescue team to control the dogs. Even in that situation, he suggests a plan to help Hyeong Baek save his face.
Project Silence (Talchul: Project Silence, 2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Once Jeong Won enters the bus, a fire erupts on the bridge. He lies to the bus passengers and reveals a fake cause of the situation. Jo Park realizes that. So, Jeong Won offers him a bribe in exchange to keep his mouth shut. As the SWAT team reaches there, the passengers leave the bus. However, not even the soldiers can combat the rabid dogs. So, all the passengers make a run for their lives and hide themselves wherever they can. Eventually, the survivors realize that Jeong Won lied to them and finally learn the truth about Project Silence.
Dr. Yang reveals that the dogs are clones of a female dog who was tortured by killing her puppies in front of her. She is motivated by revenge for their deaths, and so are the other dogs. While the civilians on the bridge fight for their lives, Hyeon Baek fights for his chance to win the election. If he sends another rescue team, it will mean he accepts the existence of Project Silence, which will jeopardize his chance of becoming the next president. So, instead, he needs to blame it on the collapsed bridge. While that happens, Byeong Hak saves others by sacrificing his life to the dogs. He helps others by trapping the dogs inside a bus.
Does Jeong Won help rescue the civilians from the bridge?
Jeong Won realizes no help is coming their way. So, he devises a plan with Dr. Yang, Jo Park, Yu Ra, Mi Ran, and Gyeong Min to end the dogs’ menace. Along the way, Jeong Won and Gyeong Min almost lose their lives. However, a dog miraculously saves Gyeong Min, probably due to her maternal instincts. Then, Jo Park pulls the container carrying Jeong Won and Gyeong Min through his tow truck and saves them.
Once they cross the bridge, they see Hyeon Baek in front of a crowd of journalists. Hyeon Baek celebrates their victorious escapes and tries to take credit for them, so Jeong Won punches him in the face. At the end of “Project Silence,” Jeong Won and Dr Yang reveal the truth about the government conspiracy to the press. Somewhere nearby, we see the wounded dog alive with a bandaged puppy.
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