Parents' Guide to Wall to Wall

This thriller is too long and gets bogged down by hard-to-believe plot devices after its main reveal. Like other films of its genre, Wall to Wall begins with a promising and intriguing premise but fails to take it anywhere interesting. Unfortunately, this film isn't sure where to go or how to "end," and its second half slows to a crawl, even as, on paper, the story increases in drama, violence, and intensity. But for all that bluster, bravado, and red herring killing, none of it can make up for the writing decisions that lead to the film's denouement (or the film's second half entirely). For some reason, the film loses all of its momentum after its central mystery is uncovered.

While the first captivating third of the film thrives on "what's going on?" vibes, it gives way to an unfocused and confused mess of a plot once the reveal declares the direction it's going in. And to help that cause, there are information dumps amidst the violence, sudden deaths, and confrontations. But already, the sauce is lost, the mystery gone, and the thrill never returns. Like many notable South Korean TV shows and films in recent years, Wall to Wall also wants to work as a social commentary on the nation's current wealth disparity and economic woes, but Squid Game and Parasite hit different because of their unfiltered display of the arbitrariness of who gets to be wealthy and who doesn't. Audiences can relate to Gi-hoon in Squid Game or the Kims in Parasite because we feel like, well, in their situation, "I might do the same thing," wherein, with Woo-seong, none of his decisions seem relatable, and his most consequential decisions are primarily based in greed, not desperation.