A Taxi Driver

"A Taxi Driver" is based on the true story of Kim Man-seob (Song Kang-ho), a widowed taxi driver from Seoul who is struggling to raise his young daughter and make ends meet in 1980. Overhearing another driver brag about a lucrative fare, he intercepts the client: a German journalist, Jürgen "Peter" Hinzpeter (Thomas Kretschmann), who wants to be taken to the city of Gwangju for a day for 100,000 won. Man-seob, oblivious to the political turmoil, sees it only as a way to pay his overdue rent.

Upon reaching Gwangju, they find the city under a complete military blockade, with phone lines cut. What Man-seob thought was a simple fare turns into a harrowing journey into the heart of the Gwangju Uprising, a violent pro-democracy protest being brutally suppressed by the authoritarian government. Initially focused only on his own safety and getting paid, Man-seob's perspective begins to shift as he witnesses the atrocities committed by the military against unarmed civilians and students. Aided by compassionate Gwangju residents, including a local taxi driver Hwang Tae-sool (Yoo Hai-jin) and an English-speaking student Gu Jae-sik (Ryu Jun-yeol), Man-seob and Peter are drawn deeper into the conflict.

The film chronicles Man-seob's profound moral transformation from an apolitical, self-interested bystander to an active participant who risks his life to help the journalist document the truth and show it to the world. It is a story of ordinary people displaying extraordinary courage in the face of oppression.

The core meaning of "A Taxi Driver" revolves around the profound transformation of an ordinary individual when confronted with extraordinary injustice. Director Jang Hoon sought to explore the awakening of civic consciousness and moral responsibility. The film's central message is that history is not shaped by heroes alone, but by the cumulative choices of everyday people who decide they can no longer be bystanders. It poses the question of what a person's duty is when faced with the suffering of others and a state-enforced campaign of lies. The director wanted to tell the story of the Gwangju citizens, whose sacrifices paved the way for South Korea's democracy, through the eyes of an outsider who eventually understands their struggle is also his own. The film powerfully argues for the necessity of journalistic integrity and bearing witness to history, emphasizing that truth, even when suppressed, has the power to inspire change.

While overwhelmingly praised, some critical analysis offers alternative interpretations, primarily focused on the film's use of genre conventions. One perspective is that by framing the story as a mainstream blockbuster, complete with a thrilling, fictionalized car chase and a clear emotional arc for its protagonist, the film softens the brutal, unresolved horror of the actual Gwangju Uprising. This "feel-good" approach, centered on the redemption of one man, could be seen as an overly sentimental or cathartic treatment of a national tragedy that, for many victims, has no neat resolution.

Another interpretation examines the narrative's choice to make the taxi driver initially apolitical and ignorant. While this creates a powerful character arc, it diverges from the reality of Kim Sa-bok, who was reportedly politically aware and fluent in English. This choice, while effective for storytelling, could be interpreted as a simplification of the complex realities of political consciousness at the time, suggesting that ordinary people were wholly ignorant rather than living under varying degrees of awareness and fear. The focus on the two central figures, at times, also risks overshadowing the collective agency of the thousands of Gwangju citizens who were the primary actors in the uprising.

"A Taxi Driver" was a monumental success in South Korea, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2017 and, at the time, one of the most-watched films in Korean history. Its impact extended far beyond the box office. The film played a crucial role in re-igniting a national conversation about the Gwangju Uprising, a traumatic event that had been suppressed and distorted by authoritarian governments for decades. For younger generations with little memory of the event, the film was a powerful and accessible history lesson.

The movie's popularity led directly to the public identification of the real-life driver, Kim Sa-bok, solving a historical mystery. Politically, its release coincided with a new, more liberal administration in South Korea. President Moon Jae-in's viewing of the film was a significant symbolic act, endorsing its message and promising to pursue further truth and reconciliation for Gwangju. Critically, the film was praised for balancing a harrowing historical event with humor, humanity, and compelling character drama, making a difficult subject accessible to a mass audience without trivializing it. It was selected as South Korea's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards and received wide acclaim for Song Kang-ho's powerful performance.

Audience reception for "A Taxi Driver" was overwhelmingly positive, particularly within South Korea, where it became a cultural event. Viewers praised the film's ability to be both deeply moving and entertaining, effectively telling a painful historical story to a new generation. The performance of Song Kang-ho was universally acclaimed as the heart of the film, with audiences connecting to his portrayal of an ordinary man's reluctant heroism. Many viewers found the depiction of the Gwangju citizens' solidarity and sacrifice to be incredibly powerful and emotional. The main points of criticism, though minor, were often directed at the final car chase sequence, which some viewers felt was an overly dramatic, Hollywood-style embellishment that slightly undermined the film's otherwise realistic tone. Despite this, the overall verdict was that the film was a masterful and essential piece of Korean cinema that honored the memory of the Gwangju Uprising.