Lots of big reviews for My Way this week as it played at the Berlin Film Festival and also a number of reviews for romance films coinciding with Valentine's Day this past Tuesday, including a series for Hanguk Yeonghwa.
The Weekly Review Round-up is a weekly feature which brings together all available reviews of Korean films in the English language (and sometimes French) that have recently appeared on the internet. It is by no means a comprehensive feature and additions are welcome (email pierceconran [at] gmail [dot] com). It appears every Friday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News, and the Korean Box Office Update. Reviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site.
To keep up with the best in Korean film you can sign up to our RSS Feed, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
Kwak Kyung-taek is primarily known as a maker of manly
films, his filmography includes a number of testosterone fuelled works such as Friend (2001), Typhoon (2005), and Eye For
an Eye (2008). So it should
come as some surprise that in 2011, his ninth feature was essentially a romance
film, or so the marketers behind it would have us believe. The truth is, Kwak is actually no stranger
to romance narratives. One of his
best films is Love (2007) and if the
title wasn’t enough of a giveaway, it is a love story, albeit one played in a
world of gangsters.
Nam-soon (Kwon Sang-woo) lost his family in an accident when he was young and as a result he no longer feels any pain. He now works as a debt collector whose partner beats him in front of debtors until they pay up. He lives an emotionally barren life until he meets Dong-hyeon (Jeong Ryeo-won), a street stall vendor who suffers from hemophilia. As their unlikely bond grows stronger, Nam-soon gradually opens up and a lifetime of hurt washes over him.
Having seen six of his films I’m still a little undecided as
to how good a filmmaker Kwak is. Friend was a strong feature that
prompted such a wave of popularity in Korea that it carried him to the upper
echelons of the industry, not least because the film was reportedly based on
his own youth. His films are always
polished and are well put together but he lacks a visual stamp, which is a
defining feature for many of his confreres in the industry. Aside from male characters, the most
defining characteristic of Kwak’s films is the omnipresence of his protagonist's
backstories, they are never free of tragedy or their social class. Structurally this will be conveyed in
one of two ways, either we are presented with the tragedy or poor social
setting beforehand as a prologue to the events of the films, such as in Friend, Mutt Boy (2003), and Love,
or we discover their traumatic backstories through flashback, like in Typhoon, Eye for an Eye, and now Pain.
Like so many Korean films that have come before it, the
source of the protagonist’s anguish in Pain
is rooted in a deadly car crash. Off
the top of my head, in 2011 alone, I can think of Champ, Blind, and the popular
K-Drama City Hunter that have all
used the same trop. Granted it is
an effective tool but perhaps more to the point, it has believability on its
side. There aren’t many accidents
that can wipe out most of a family and still be deemed plausible. Fires (also very popular in Korean
cinema) and vehicular collisions pretty much fill out this list.
Riskier still are the ailments of the lead characters. Analgesia and hemophilia are conditions
that we do not encounter on a daily basis, far from it. So to have two characters suffering
from them meet and fall in love goes quite a ways to stretching credulity. Misgivings aside though, it works
surprisingly well. It’s original
and leads to some novel situations while also accentuating the emotional highs
and lows of the narrative. Of
course Nam-soon's insensitivity to pain is also a metaphor for the suppression of his
traumatic memories, to the point where he can no longer feel them or any thing
else. He holds himself responsible
for his family’s death and as a result constantly subjects himself to
punishment. Since he cannot feel
pain, this cycle can only accelerate and escalate, never providing any
relief.
Throughout Kwak’s films you won’t find many strong female
characters. Even in Love, the presence of the female romantic interest
is largely symbolic: the impetus of the film’s actions rest on Joo Jin-mo’s
character’s shoulders. I wondered
whether Pain would suffer a similar
fate but thankfully Dong-hyeon is afforded much more characterization than
previous women in his films.
Perhaps even more successful is the casting of the delightful Jeong
Ryeo-won, who was wonderful in Castaway
on the Moon (2009). She’s
perfect for the part, equal parts tough, vulnerable, and cute, and as always, a
joy to watch on screen.
I think that Pain
stands as one of Kwak’s best films, even though it was far from his most
successful one. The only part of
the film that drags is the end, which smacks a little of inevitability. However, it does make reference to the conclusion of Park Kwang-su’s seminal Chilsu and Mansu (1988), whose damaged
characters find themselves at an impasse by the film's end. They stare down into a precipice from up on high, not quite understanding
what lead them there and helpless as they await their fate, forced upon them by
a traumatized society, which is breathlessly trying to move towards the light.
Some good features this week and lots of news from the Berlin Film Festival as foreign rights to hot Korean films are getting snatched up. Lots more news, trailers, interviews, and posters as well.
KOREAN CINEMA NEWS
Finecut Unveils Another Film by Hong
South Korean sales company Finecut Co Ltd has released the first images from In Another Country, the new Hong Sang-soo film that it is representing. The film is the South Korean debut of leading French actress Isabelle Huppert. She plays three characters each with the same name who each visit the same seaside town and meet the same local residents. The rest of the cast, including Yu Jun-san, are South Korean, but much of the dialogue is in English. (Film Business Asia, February 15, 2012)
The Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB) denied the poster for the movie Gabi for the reason that Kim Min-hee's topless pose is too raunchy. Therefore, this poster can't be used in theaters or promotional uses. There have been other cases where posters like these have been denied. One it has been refused, the production has to go through the process of editing the poster and getting it re-examined by the KMRB. The posters are usually denied because they are too erotic. 2009 movie Thirst by Park Chan-wook was denied because it was too erotic and was only passed when the KMRB re-examined it after editing. (hancinema.net, February 8, 2012)
Popular Korean Films Reflecting Social Issues
Korean movies that tackle social issues head on have recently become the center of attention in the country. They not only portray reality, but also provoke discussions. Arirang News correspondent Park Ji-won analyzes two films that are now screening here in Korea, which are now raising questions about Korea's political and legal conditions. (arirang, February 8, 2012)
With the start of the new year, the Korean film industry looks to its brightest prospects. Kang Byeong-jin of Korean Cinema Today profiles eight highly anticipated films of 2012, including Ghost Sweeper, The Thieves, Korea, Howling, The Tower, The Masquerade King, and Hoogoong: Jaewang-eui chub. (Korean Cinema Today, February 7, 2012)
Tom Giammarco considers the history of sport in Korean film over on Seen in Jeonju. (Seen in Jeonju, February 5, 2012)
From Korea With Love
Bangkok-based writer and critic Kong Rithdee looks at the influence of Korean moving images in Thailand and gauges the depth of the Korean Wave. In late January, So Ji-sub and Han Hyo-ju walked down the red carpet at HuaHin International Film Festival, the inaugural edition of the cinefest held in Thailand’s popular resort town. (Korean Cinema Today, February 6, 2012)
Finecut Launches Sales on Kim Ki-duk’s Pieta
Seoul-based sales agent Finecut has picked up international rights to Pieta, the latest film from prolific Korean auteur Kim Ki-duk. Scheduled to start shooting this month, the film tells the story of a cruel loan shark, who believes he doesn’t have any family or loved ones, so has no need to fear when committing brutal acts. But one day a mysterious woman appears in his life claiming to be his mother. (Screen Daily, February 10, 2012)
Finecut Adds Grand Heist, Ghost Sweepers to Berlin Slate
Seoul-based sales company Finecut has picked up two new Korean genre films – $10m period action adventure The Grand Heist, and $5m comic action horror Ghost Sweepers. (Screen Daily, February 9, 2012)
Berlin 2012: Universal Pictures International Inks Multi-Territory Pact for My Way
Universal Pictures International Entertainment has taken multiple territories for the Korean war epic My Way, which has its world premiere Friday night at the Berlin international film festival. UPIE snagged rights in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand for the film, a World War II epic directed by Kang Je-Kyu and featuring Asian stars Odagiri Joe, Jang Dong-gun and Fan Bingbing. (The Hollywood Reporter, February 10, 2012)
Korea’s M-Line Opens Doomsday Book
Korea’s M-Line Distribution is launching sales on the sci-fi drama Doomsday Book, co-directed by Kim Jee-woon and Yim Pil-sung, at the EFM. The $5m film comprises three short stories – the first about a robot achieving enlightenment, the second about a zombie invasion and the third about a meteor wiping out mankind. (Screen Daily, February 11, 2012)
Korean Movies Reflecting Social Issues Fly High at the Box Office Dancing Queen, a comedy about a middle-aged married couple who each pursue their lost dreams, and Unbowed, a low-budget courtroom drama based on a true story, have both broken the 3-million mark of viewers in less than a month of their release. According to data compiled by the Korean Film Council, Dancing Queen and Unbowed attracted 3.09 million and 3 million viewers, respectively, as of Saturday since their release on Jan. 18. (The Korea Times, February 12, 2012)
Drama Producer Son Committed Suicide Jan. 21
Hit drama maker Son Moon-kwon committed suicide last month, a local daily recently reported. Family members told the Sports Chosun that Son hung himself Jan. 21 from a staircase at his house in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. He was 40 years old. Son was married to famed script writer Im Seong-han, 52. (hancinema.net, February 13, 2012)
Shout! Factory Takes Korean Creature Feature Sector 7
Shout! Factory announced today a multi-year agreement with CJ E&M, the leading film distribution and production company in Korea, to be the exclusive North American home entertainment distributor for two widely popular Korean motion pictures, including the creature feature Sector 7. (Shock Till You Drop, February 14, 2012)
INTERVIEWS
Director Kim Joong-hyeon
Ahead of its international premiere in the Berlinale Forum, director Kim Joong-hyeon talks about his debut feature film Choked with Kim Seong-hoon. A low-budget film made at the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), Kim Joong-hyeon’s Choked deals with economic troubles and the dissolution of the family in contemporary Korean society. The film made its world premiere in the Busan International Film Festival’s New Currents competition and is due for an international premiere in the Berlinale Forum section. (Korean Cinema Today, February 3, 2012)
Lee Na-young Faces Tough Challenge on New Movie
Actress Lee Na-young's latest film Howling, which will be released next Thursday, sees her take on the role of a rookie cop investigating a series of murders by a mysterious wolf-like creature. In this action-thriller, Lee flexes her muscles as a hard-nosed police detective and even rides a motorcycle. "This film had so many enticing factors. First of all, I wanted to play a part with many action scenes. Veteran actor Song Kang-ho was already cast, so I had an even stronger interest in it when I read the script," said Lee. (The Chosun Ilbo, February 11, 2012)
Korean Cinema News is a weekly feature which provides wide-ranging news coverage on Korean cinema, including but not limited to: features; festival news; interviews; industry news; trailers; posters; and box office. It appears every Wednesday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at the Korean Box Office Update and the Weekly Review Round-up. Reviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site.
To keep up with the best in Korean film you can sign up to our RSS Feed, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
The Korean Cinema Blogathon will be back for its much anticipated 2nd edition from March 5-11. This year the home base for the event will be last year's co-host cineAWESOME! while New Korean Cinema will be mirroring all of the links on its site.
In order to maximize the exposure of the already very popular Blogathon, a few sites have been brought in to the mix to act as hosts to all of the event's links. Modern Korean Cinema is very proud to count itself among this group, along with Hangul Celluloid, KOFFIA, and VCinema.
Last year's Blogathon was the reason that MKC really got going, so I'm extremely excited to see it roll around again especially as this edition promises to be even better than the first!
Make sure to drop in come March 5th and don't be shy about submitting your own review, top 10, or article, this is what the Korean Cinema Blogathon is all about! It's a fantastic way to share thoughts, discover great sites, and meet new people.
Check out the original press release after the jump for more information:
Following last years successful Korean Blogathon (thanks to everyone who joined us!) New Korean Cinema and cineAWESOME! will be hosting the event again this year from 5th to the 11th March.
What’s the Korean Blogathon?
It’s a way to try to encourage as many people – including YOU! – to share and discover opinions and ideas about Korean cinema. It’s open to anyone – wherever you are around the world and whichever language you speak.
For one week we try to encourage as many people as possible to get involved writing about Korean cinema. Anything you want. Over the course of the seven days this kicks up some really interesting posts – and, most importantly, people are able to read what you’ve written and discover films and ideas that they’ve never come across before, maybe learn a little about Korean film history, or maybe even discover websites and blogs they were previously unaware of.
Ideas for blog posts might include reviews, top tens, opinions on favorite directors / actors / genres, whatever you want – it just needs to be related to Korean cinema in some way. Last year we had fifty blogs participate, generating one hundred and fifty posts!
Check out the links for last years event here. This year the event will be hosted by cineAWESOME! and mirrored at New Korean Cinema.
All you need to do to join us is to write a post – or as many posts as you want over the seven days – on your blog or website during the week of 5th to the 11th of March then send an e-mail to [email protected] with your link to and we’ll post a link to you from the site. You can also post your own links on our Facebook page or we will do it for you, and we’ll Tweet links to your posts throughout the week: the Twitter tag for the week will be #koreablog.
If you want to use one of our ‘Korean Blogathon 2012’ banners they can be downloaded from here
This past weekend was another exceptionally strong frame for local films as combined they took nearly 80% of the market share, up from 50% a year ago. Total admissions came in at just over two million which was a 25% increase on last year's comparable weekend.
Once again leading the charge was Nameless Gangster which barely dropped from its gigantic opening to record a 828,585 weekend which already puts it within inches of the 2.5 million mark. While it will likely lose a significant amount of business next weekend it's already a big success and will surely cross a few more landmarks during its run.
Dancing Queen moved up to number 2 this weekend with 282,560 which represented a tiny 15% drop. It is now well over the three million mark and could cross four before finishing its impressive run. It's going quite steady for the moment and should still remain competitive throughout the rest of the month.
Unbowed dropped to number 3 with a 40% drop that left it with 256,866. It has now also crossed the three million admissions mark and could vie for the next milestone but this could prove to be a difficult obstacle to overcome. The film has had an extraordinary run but with so much else crowding the theaters interested does seem to have waned so it will probably begin to wind up its run shortly.
Foreign animation Legends of Valhalla: Thor opened with a decent 198,414 but is unlikely to stay this high on the chart for long. Considering how many children's films have opened recently this seems like a good start.
Tarbosaurus 3D lost about half its business this weekend as it garnered another 116,742 admissions but it has now crossed the one million mark. This seems like a decent total for this kind of a film but I have no idea how much it cost or what its break-even point may be. In any case it has been a difficult period for animation lately with so many crowding the marquee.
Papa dropped a spot to number 6 in its sophomore weekend as it halved its take to 107,868. Not an impressive run but with so many quality offerings on offer its easy to see why a film with a slight and slightly perplexing premise could get lost in the mix. One million admissions is probably not on the cards.
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace occupied the number 7 spot as it came out on rerelease with 59,278. At number 8 was Spielberg's new offering War Horse which sold 53,558 tickets. Meanwhile, the phenomenal Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy failed to attract many viewers as it attracted 44,042 viewers for number 9. Last Happy Feet 2 dropped like a stone after an abismal opening as it wound up with a paltry 35,368 admissions.
All eyes will be on the Ha Yu directed and Song Kang-ho starring Howling as it opens wide next weekend. Reviews have been excellent and anticipation is high but I wonder how the strong performance of the top three local films will affect its opening bow.
The Korean Box Office Update is a weekly feature which provides detailed analysis of film box office sales over the Friday to Sunday period in Korea. It appears every Sunday evening or Monday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News and the Weekly Review Round-up. Reviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site.
To keep up with the best in Korean film you can sign up to our RSS Feed, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
A pair of reviews for the hotly anticipated thriller Howling this week which will be opening on the 16th in Korea. Many more reviews of past and current films also on offer from a wide range of sources.
The Weekly Review Round-up is a weekly feature which brings together all available reviews of Korean films in the English language (and sometimes French) that have recently appeared on the internet. It is by no means a comprehensive feature and additions are welcome (email pierceconran [at] gmail [dot] com). It appears every Friday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News, and the Korean Box Office Update. Reviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site.
To keep up with the best in Korean film you can sign up to our RSS Feed, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
The big news this week is the announcement of this year's Korean Blogathon which is being presented by cineAWESOME! and New Korean Cinema and will this year be hosted on Modern Korean Cinema and a number of other sites, visit the press release below for more information.
2012 KOREAN BLOGATHON
Join Us For ‘Korean Blogathon 2012′
Last year New Korean Cinema played host to the Korean Blogathon – a week which was used to try to shine the spotlight on Korean films and the people who are writing about them online. The response blew us away – over the seven days many great articles emerged from some brilliant writers and this created some interesting discussions about many varied aspects of Korean film and filmmakers. It was such a great event that we promised the Blogathon would return…. so here we go! (New Korean Cinema, February 7, 2012)
KOREAN CINEMA NEWS
Seven Korean Films Invited to 2012 Berlinale
Seven Korean films have been invited to this year’s Berlinale, scheduled for Feb. 9-19. Among the seven, director Kang Ju-gyu’s 28 billion won war blockbuster My Way and Jeon Kyu-hwan’s drama Varanasi have been invited to the festival’s non-competition “Panorama” section. (The Korea Herald, February 1, 2012)
More Images From Yim Pil-sung and Kim Ji-woon's The Doomsday Book
Just last week we heard the good news that the omnibus sci-fi project The Doomsday Book was back on its feet after a long hiatus. The cast includes Kim Gyu-ri, Kim Kang-woo, Ryoo Seung-beom, Cho Youn-hee, Kim Seo-hyung, and Song Sae-byeok. The film will hit Korean cinemas this Spring and will also screen at EFM in Berlin next week. (Twitch, February 2, 2012)
'Jang Keun Suk effect!' You’re My Pet Earns 2.4 Million Dollars
Jang Keun Suk showed off his box office power on the Japanese silver screen. You’re My Pet, which was released in Japan on January 21, earned 2,424,009 dollars by January 29. The movie ranked ninth in box office receipts in the second week. (korea.com, February 2, 2012)
Korean Film in 2012
The Korean film industry has a lot to offer for the year of 2012. Korean films have been gathering more attention around the world and in the domestic market, as Korean films gain attention and Korean actors and producers take part in more international collaborations. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the market share for Korean films was 51.9%, up from 46.5 in 2010 and marking the first time in modern history that Korean moviegoing audiences showed a marked preference for domestic movies. As well, film exports increased by 14% in 2011. (IT Times, February 3, 2012)
The cast of Korean director Bong Joon-ho's (The Host) first English-language movie, the post-apocalyptic drama Snow Piercer, was already impressive, but it just got even better. Captain America: The First Avenger star Chris Evans was the first to sign on, but he was soon joined by two-time Academy Award-nominated actor John Hurt (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) and Academy Award-winner Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton). Now, the cast has gained another Oscar contender as THR reports Octavia Spencer (The Help) has also joined the cast. (reelz.com, February 5, 2012)
Finecut Acquires Hong Sang-soo's Another Country
The South Korean sales company will be screening a promo reel at the upcoming European Film Market. South Korean company Finecut is handling international sales on Hong Sang-soo’s new film Another Country, starring the award-winning actress Isabelle Huppert. The film was shot in summer last year and is now in post-production. (Screen Daily, February 6, 2012)
Leafie Launches 108 Media
Toronto-based 108 Media is launching at the Berlin market by acquiring English-language rights to Korean animated title Leafie: A Hen Into the Wild. Company will focus on worldwide sales and Canadian distribution of films, TV, gaming and mobile content. Funded by private equity, 108 Media is headed by Abhishek Rastogi, former managing director of Cinesavvy. (Variety, February 6, 2012)
KOFIC to Support 33 Korean-Foreign Joint Productions in 2012
The Korean Film Council will be supporting 33 Korean-foreign joint production films this year, as well as small-sale production houses and distributors, its officials announced in a press meeting in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Tuesday. The council kicked off the 2 billion won project for the 33 joint productions on Tuesday by announcing its official call for submissions. (The Korea Herald, February 7, 2012)
Film Unbowed Creates Nationwide Stir on Fair Trial
The Korean film Unbowed has now become the center of attention in Korea, drawing more than 2.5 million viewers since it opened in mid-January. The film succeeded in reaching out to millions of viewers, as the film focuses on unfair and biased legal procedures. Although this movie is based on a true story, it has created a stir nationwide on whether or not the plot has been exaggerated or even modified from the actual facts. (Arirang TV, February 7, 2012)
INTERVIEWS
Lee Myeong-se – “Better and Sweeter”
Award winning films, Nowhere To Hide (1999), Duelist (2005) and M (2007) are amongst those directed by Lee Myeong-se. In between directing (& writing) these action, fantasy & thriller-noir titles he’s given the world further tales made up of dramas, love stories and comedies. However, it’s not only the genre-busting he seems to do well it’s also in his filming techniques. Rarely does a scene pass without some brilliant imagery. With all this in mind, it’s my reckoning that this down-to-earth and funny guy is more than capable of pulling off his forthcoming feature. We cover that film and others in our interview together. Well done, ‘Mister Lee’! (Mini Mini Movie Review, February 2, 2012)
Back From Near Extinction, Dinosaurs Tromp Through New Film
Dinosaurs once roamed through Korean film, but none were very fierce. All of the reptiles were shoddy creatures shot with miniature action figures, resulting in unnatural performances and awkward movements. The lack of technology also allowed these gigantic characters just one facial expression: an angry face with a mouth wide open to reveal a set of threatening, peg-like teeth. Then, in the late 90’s, dinosaur films did a disappearing act and it looked like they were on their way to extinction. (Joong Ang Daily, February 3, 2012)
Interview With Director Lee Kwang-kuk
Formerly an assistant director to Hong Sang-soo, Lee Kwang-kuk has struck off on his own to make his feature debut with Romance Joe. After a world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival, Romance Joe made its international premiere in the Tiger Awards Competition at the recently wrapped International Film Festival Rotterdam. Lee spoke with Jean Noh ahead of and at the festival about his work. (KoBiZ, February 6, 2012)
Two Korean films emerged as major hits in 2012's Lunar New Year holiday season – Dancing Queen and Unbowed. The success of Dancing Queen, which sold 2.26 million tickets in its first two weeks on release, was not entirely unexpected. (KoBiZ, February 3, 2012)
Korean movies are outshining their international counterparts at domestic box offices, according to statistics released recently by the Korean Film Commission, as the top-five most-watched movies at the moment are all homegrown. (Joong Ang Daily, February 7, 2012)
Korean Cinema News is a weekly feature which provides wide-ranging news coverage on Korean cinema, including but not limited to: features; festival news; interviews; industry news; trailers; posters; and box office. It appears every Wednesday morning (GMT+1) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at the Korean Box Office Update and the Weekly Review Round-up. Reviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site.
To keep up with the best in Korean film you can sign up to our RSS Feed, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
There are few things more satisfying than a well-performed
and thoughtfully structured courtroom drama. I for one have pleasantly idled away many a Sunday afternoon
whisked away into the heady wood-paneled halls of justice. The beauty of legal dramas or thrillers
is that by way of their conceit they are already confined, for the most part,
to one location and as viewers we accept this fact. More than most genres, with courtroom films we largely know
what we’re getting ourselves into.
So what makes these films so popular when they are so constrained
by their design? Their narratives
typically do not require the presence of too many characters and often eschew
subplots which may otherwise seem contrived. This makes them quite lean and generally pretty easy to
follow and be drawn in by. For the
most part the stories will be determined by the answer to one question: will
the case be won or lost? But the
most engaging thing about courtroom dramas is the bitter contest of right vs.
wrong. We are compelled to
deliberate over the evidence and arguments presented by both sides (though we
are often led by the filmmaker’s guiding hand) which in effect means that our
viewing experience sees us living vicariously through the jury represented on
screen. Some of the genre’s best
examples are fully aware of this fact and use it to their advantage, such as
the slippery and claustrophobic moralizing of Twelve Angry Men (1956).
Perhaps the most important element of any solid and engaging
legal thriller is the strength of its characters and by extension the
importance of their casting. Who
could ever forget Jimmy Stewart in Anatomy
of a Murder (1959), Gregory Peck in To
Kill a Mockingbird (1962), or Paul Newman in The Verdict (1982).
Though I’m sure not all will agree, but there’s also much to be said for
Tom Cruise’s endearing performance in A
Few Good Men (1992). In
considering the recent Korean courtroom drama The Client, the first thing that pops to mind is the charismatic
performance of Ha Jeong-woo, who is surely on his way to becoming one of the
peninsula’s leading stars. Though
judging by the massive opening of his new film Nameless Gangster this past weekend, he already seems quite close
to that distinction.
The premise to The
Client is quite simple: a man
returns to his apartment early one morning to find it overrun by police
investigating a murder, the victim being his wife. As all the evidence, albeit circumstantial, points to him,
he his immediately hauled away for questioning. Despite the seeming open-and-shut nature of the case, attorney
Kang (Ha Jeong-woo) takes on the defendant Han (Jang Hyeok) as his client. Kang is a gregarious lawyer, confident in his abilities, and
he will do battle with his rival prosecutor Ahn (Park Hee-soon) in the court while also dealing
with his client, who seems to be holding something back.
The film sets up a classic did he or didn’t he scenario but
rather than linger on this question, it lets it eat away at the edges of the
frame as it chooses instead to focus its attention on the contentious and grudgingly respectful battle between the tremendous presence of Kang
and the imposing steeliness of Ahn.
In his second outing, Director Sohn Young-sung adroitly handles the
pacing, which is taut and even at 123 minutes never lags. He also exhibits some panache in the
mise-en-scene department though modestly holds back as he wisely gives way to
the considerable talents of his first-rate cast.
It hardly needed any more confirmation, but The Client should easily qualify Ha
Jeong-woo as a major star with the kind of mix of natural charm and good looks
that is reminiscent of some of the silver screen’s coolest icons like Paul
Newman, or perhaps he’s Korea’s equivalent to Hollywood’s icon-of-the-moment
Ryan Gosling. Either way we’ll be
in no short supply of his talents for the foreseeable future as he stars in two
film released this month, Nameless Gangster and Love Fiction, and then Ryoo
Seung-wan’s big budget spy thriller The Berlin File which is about to start
shooting on location in Europe.
Park Hee-soon is somewhat of an anomalous presence in the
Korean star system. He’s handsome
and often cast as the leading man but he might be the most intense actor in the
country. He doesn’t display any
sense of humor, which adds a rather unsettling but effective tone to his
performance as a larger-than life soccer coach in A Barefoot Dream (2010), but it can also be a drag on proceedings
that are already bereft of much spirit like last year’s promising but
ultimately shallow and turgid The
Showdown (2011). However, he does
excel at playing saturnine characters and when employed effectively he can be a
formidable presence, such as in Hansel in
Gretel (2007). Sohn is one of
those deft hands who knows how to wield his strengths and as prosecutor Park he is an
excellent foil to Ha’s outgoing litigator.
The Client
is not without its faults. While
more than serviceable, the plot is merely adequate, constantly to-ing and fro-ing
with the odd curveball thrown in for good measure. At the end of the day it offers nothing new in the exhausted
setting of the legal thriller. Nevertheless,
it is a satisfying way to divert oneself during the course of a lazy Sunday.
Following the critical and commercial success of The Client and more recently Unbowed, it’s a safe bet to say that
Korea will soon greenlight some more high-profile courtroom dramas and if the
quality of this effort is anything to go by, these would be a most welcome
addition to the ever-versatile Korean film industry’s production slate.
