Emergency Declaration

“Believe it or not, Emergency Declaration was conceived before the pandemic, but it’s just about the most thrilling way a film can capitalize on our fears — of the virus, of flying, of governments making a problem worse — without directly exploiting the international nightmare we’ve all been living lately.”

Peter Debruge, Variety · 90

“Emergency Declaration, a piercing thriller from the South Korean writer-director Han Jae-rim, manages to deliver excitement and melodrama out of a ludicrous story line.”

Robert Daniels, The New York Times · 70

“The performances are uniformly solid, especially by the two leads, and the generally low-key cinematic style keeps us in the pocket of the story.”

Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times · 60

“This is still star-driven, big-screen goofiness writ large, something to be consumed with popcorn and a crowd, and that fact its hitting U.S. screens during the summer dog days couldn’t be more welcome. You just might want to wear two masks in the theater.”

David Fear, Rolling Stone · 60