Starring Ha Jeong-woo. In Korean with English subtitles. Rating not available.

The Terror Live, a taut chamber piece making clever use of a single location, says a lot about how we are infotaining ourselves to death. If it said a little less, the film would be a lot better.

A sophomore outing for writer-director Kim Byeong-woo (2008’s Written), it stars top Korean actor Ha Jeong-woo as a TV news anchor recently demoted to radio chat shows. Recently divorced and in some kind of disgrace, Yoon Yeong-hwa is manning the phones when someone calls with an old work grievance. Yoon blows him off in hopes of something sexier—unlikely, since the day’s topic is a new sales tax. Somehow the complainer stays on the line, threatening to blow up Seoul’s nearby Mapo Bridge if he’s not heard.

Suspecting a prank, the host says, “Bring it on”; cut to a big ka-boom right outside the window. Next thing you know, Mr. Terror Man is demanding an absurdly specific amount of compensation, plus an on-air apology from the president of South Korea.

Yoon’s venal producer (Lee Kyeong-yeong) clearly puts ratings above human lives, but the film insists that the others, including cops and politicians with competing agendas, are complicit in this shabby exploitation. After the former newsman’s ex-wife (Jeon Hye-jin) heads out to the bridge for updates, he starts to remember why he got into the business. Too bad an explosive earpiece keeps him, literally, tied to his desk.

Ha is such a good lead, he makes the most of minimal settings, enlivened by impressive special effects, despite increasingly nutty plot twists. Everyone can relate to the issues of corruption and opportunism raised here, but some western viewers may undervalue the brute stubbornness of male hierarchy in Korean culture, where “sorry” can really be the hardest word.