City of Fathers (2009) Movie Review

ASIAN MOVIE NEWS, ASIAN MOVIE REVIEWS, REVIEWS, SOUTH KOREAN MOVIE REVIEWS — BY JAMES MUDGE ON FEBRUARY 13, 2010

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“City of Fathers” is another of those Korean films whose title and DVD box art makes it pretty difficult to know what to expect – in this case possibly hard boiled action, emotional drama or wacky comedy. Thankfully, the film is mainly a mixture of the first two, with director Park Ji Won weaving together different elements into an effective and compelling whole, dealing with love, violence and sadness in equal measures. The film boasts an interesting cast, not least due to the presence of Yoo Seung Ho, once hailed as the ‘nation’s little brother’, following up his role in teen detective drama “4th Period Mystery” with something tougher and more substantial. The film is very much an ensemble affair, and he shares the grim limelight with Kim Young Ho (“Portrait of a Beauty”) and Ko Chang Suk (“Insadong Scandal”) as two rather unworthy father figures.

Yoo plays Jong Chul, a teenager who has led a hard life following the death of his mother, being stuck with his gambling, alcoholic father Kang Soo (Ko Chang Suk), who clearly couldn’t care less about him. Kang Soo spends most of his days running from loan sharks and tricking girls into prostitution, with his luck on the verge of running out. When Jong Chul is diagnosed with cancer of the kidney, circumstances impress upon him a change, and he tries to persuade the poor lad’s biological father, underworld thug Tae Suk (Kim Young Ho) to help, only to find that he is uninterested in saving his life.

Although it may well sound suspiciously like yet another Korean melodrama, “City of Fathers” wastes no time in setting out its stall, opening with domestic violence and bloody baseball bat beatings. Dealing with themes of debt collecting, prostitution, illegal immigration and back alley organ surgery, the film does at times make for pretty grim viewing, though director Park turns this to his advantage, making its glimpses of hope and warmth all the more effective. Whilst there have been many Korean outings of late dealing with low down, unpleasant protagonists staggering unwillingly along the road to redemption, the film differs from the likes of “The Chaser” and “Breathless” by taking a somewhat more emotional approach, in particular during its latter stages.

Kang Soo gets most of the screen time, and he really is a nasty piece of work, with his reaction to Jong Chul’s illness being to shrug and declare that he doesn’t care whether he lives or dies, to insist on having a few drinks and then to proceed to beat the hell out of him on regular occasions. Being overweight and ragged, he arguably makes for an even less appealing leading man than in the afore-mentioned films, and although his journey to becoming some semblance of a good father is rather sudden, it does carry with it quite a punch to the gut. Tae Suk is also an interesting figure, and Park wisely spends a fair amount of time following him around on his daily misdeeds, fleshing him out just about enough for the downbeat climax to hit home.

Although the film does get a little sappy in places, it generally keeps its hard edge and dignity, with plenty of violence scattered throughout. Inevitably, there are a few amusingly overwrought scenes of the male leads howling at each other and cursing their fates, which do make for some unintentional laughs. As a result, the film is perhaps not quite as moving as it could have been, though it does make up for this through its relative complexity and overall sense of earnestness. Park’s direction is fittingly naturalistic, and the film wins points for offering a decidedly unglamorous depiction of the dregs of the criminal world, most of whose denizens are portrayed as wretched miscreants only too eager to do each other over for cash or position. The female cast in particular come off badly, mostly only being around to be betrayed or beaten.

Whilst this may suggest an air of unremitting grimness, Park does show a quirky sense of humour, and the film has a few light moments and odd touches that help it to stand out from the pack. Though the film does seem to lift a little from Park Chan Wook’s classic “Sympathy for Mr Vengeance”, its kidney stealing shenanigans, which come complete with bizarre fetishistic nurse, are certainly entertaining, and this helps to keep things moving along at a decent pace, as the viewer is encouraged to guess who will be left with one, or indeed none.

As a result, “City of Fathers” is an enjoyable mix, combining violence, family drama and a handful of strange gags to good effect. Benefitting from a strong cast and a genuine heart worn on its dirty sleeve, whilst not scaling the giddy heights of its similarly themed peers, it is certainly a worthwhile effort.

Park Ji-won-I (director)

CAST: Kim Yeong-ho, Ko Chang-seok, Yoo Seung-ho, Jeong Seon-kyeong, Kim Jeong-hak, Jo Jin-woong

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The Case of Itaewon Homicide (2009) Movie Review

ASIAN MOVIE NEWS, ASIAN MOVIE REVIEWS, REVIEWS, SOUTH KOREAN MOVIE REVIEWS — BY JAMES MUDGE ON FEBRUARY 13, 2010

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Directed by Hong Ki Sun, “The Case of Itaewon Homicide” is a slice of true life crime mystery based upon a highly controversial incident back in 1997 in which a student was unfortunately murdered by one of a pair of friends, each of whom just happens to accuse the other of the deed. Fact based dramas have been increasingly popular in Korean cinemas, and here Hong certainly makes an effort to follow the events very closely, whilst of course adding in a few thrills along the way. The film is also of interest for it’s playing out largely in the English language, with the suspects in question being an American-Korean, and the mixed race son of an American soldier – played by Shin Seung Hwan and Jang Keun Suk (“The Happy Life”) respectively.

The film starts with college student Jong Pil Jo (Song Jong Ki) being stabbed to death in the bathroom of a fast food restaurant by an unknown assailant. The police soon have the number one suspect in custody, the tough looking soldier’s son Pearson (Jang Keun Suk). He in turn implicates his friend Alex (Shin Seung Hwan), and since both of them were seen following Jong into the bathroom, either could potentially be the killer. Heading up the investigation is prosecutor Park (Jung Jin Young, “King and the Clown”), who has the unenviable job of weighing up all the conflicting evidence and deciding who is guilty, a task made all the more difficult thanks to pressure from the families of the accused and the victim, not to mention complications within his own department.

With “The Case of Itaewon Homicide” director Hong certainly makes an effort to keep things grounded, believable and factually accurate, and the film does indeed have the authentic feel of a police investigation. The narrative progresses mainly through interviews with the two suspects, employing well paced flashbacks to bring more evidence to light, and to increasingly muddy the waters. The film basically hinges on the question of whether Pearson or Alex is guilty, and Hong does a reasonable job of switching the focus between the two, essentially letting things play out from the perspective of the beleaguered Park. Neither of the possible killers are particularly sympathetic or pleasant characters, and as such it is never made obvious which is the more likely to be guilty – or indeed if justice will be done. Although of course any viewers aware of what actually happened in real life are unlikely to be surprised, the conclusion and its many twists are well handled and the film is generally tense throughout.

Hong’s direction is pleasingly matter of fact, which adds to the air of gritty realism, and he manages to convince without ever letting the film become too dry – no small feat, especially during the latter courtroom sequences, which basically revolve around long speeches going over familiar ground, and detailed descriptions of the various key pieces of evidence. This does involve getting into some fairly obscure forensic aspects of the case, such as the direction of the victim’s arterial blood spray, but it makes for fascinating, engaging viewing. The pace is fast, and though some of the flashbacks are a little unnecessary and a touch manipulative, the film is suitably hardboiled and tight.

The only real problem with the film perhaps inevitably comes with itsEnglish language acting, some of which is distractingly amateurish. Whilst Jang Keun Suk performs very well as the sullen Pearson, and Shin Seung Hwan is passable as the more cartoonish Alex, the supporting cast, a mixture of Korean and Western actors, are awful, and are not helped by a script which mainly consists of stereotypical US gangsta chat and an incredible overuse of the word ‘damn’. To be fair, cultural and language difficulties do play an important role, and so perhaps Hong was happy enough with this kind of exaggeration, though since a lot hinges on which of the characters said a particular phrase, leading to lots of repetition during the flashbacks, it does become rather grating.

Thankfully, this doesn’t detract from the proceedings too much, and “The Case of Itaewon Homicide” stands as a gripping, unpretentious crime drama. With the case itself being fascinating and tragic, Hong manages to keep things on the right side of exploitation, and not only entertains, but offers an intriguing look into the workings of the Korean justice system.

Hong Ki-seon (director) / Lee Maeng-yoo (screenplay)

CAST: Jeong Jin-yeong, Jang Geun-seok, Sin Seung-hwan, Oh Kwang-rok, Ko Chang-seok, Kim Joong-ki

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Written (2007) Movie Review

ASIAN MOVIE NEWS, ASIAN MOVIE REVIEWS, REVIEWS, SOUTH KOREAN MOVIE REVIEWS — BY JAMES MUDGE ON FEBRUARY 8, 2010

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Korean indie “Written”, the second outing from writer director Kim Byung Woo is a brain teaser of a film which doesn’t blur the line between fiction and reality, so much as it jumps all over it, before proceeding to erase it completely. Needless to say, the film is one which requires a fair amount of work and commitment from the viewer – not that this should be seen as a bad thing by any means, and Kim thankfully offers plenty of intellectual and philosophical rewards for those prepared to make the effort. Having originally been released back in 2007, premiering at the Pusan FilmFestival, it now arrives on DVD, giving a wider audience the chance to scratch their heads and try and figure out exactly what may or may not be going on.

The film opens sensibly enough in generic thriller fashion, with an unfortunate man (played by actor Lee Jin Suk, recently in “Gangster High”) waking up in a filthy room, slumped in a bathtubwith a kidney missing. On the wall is scribbled the helpful advice ‘Go to a Hospital’. Wandering the murky corridors of what appears to be some kind of warehouse labyrinth, he meets a woman (actress Kim Bo Young, “The Naked Kitchen”) who claims to be the writer of a film script which he is a character in, with his fate as yet undecided. Confusingly, for both the man and the viewer, this turns out to be true, with the director of the film (Park Jin Soo) and the actor playing him (Lee Sang Hyuk) both appearing, searching for the missing final pages of the script.

“Written” really throws the viewer in at the deep end, and continues to bewilder without many concessions to narrative traditions, and indeed without much mercy. Although the premise of having a fictional protagonist whose life is controlled and threatened by omnipotent figures in the real world is not itself particularly original, Kim uses it for far more than a simple gimmick or plot device. Through it, he provides a fascinating exploration, or perhaps more accurately a reflection, of the artistic process and its chaos, jumping around between different perspectives and creative spaces, all the while progressing through a kind of weird, “Groundhog Day” style repeated sequence of events.

Although this may sound somewhat pretentious, it actually works surprisingly well, and all lofty concerns aside, the film functions admirably as a straight, if bewildering, mystery thriller. By slowly feeding the viewer answers along with his nominal protagonist, Kim manages to generate an effectively oppressive air of Kafkaesque paranoia and fear throughout, piling on the existential angst. While the film is wilfully obtuse, and may well prove too frustrating for many, it does revolve around a set of basically believable and sympathetic characters, and as a result is somewhat grounded rather than being a mere exercise in empty art house pontificating. Challenging the viewer in this manner is a bold move, though Kim just about pulls it off, despite an ending which rather predictably doesn’t really provide any satisfactory answers.

It certainly helps that the film is a visually impressive affair, engaging the eyes right from the very first frame. Kim makes brave use of bold, over saturated colours to create a surreal yet gritty environment that fits well with the film’s themes and artisticaspirations. Filled with fast cuts, shaky camera work and technical flourishes, it is markedly stylised, though at times a little too much so, almost to the point of being rather dizzying. Although the budget was quite obviously low, the limited locations are put to great use, and their theatrical, forced feel adds to the overall sense of claustrophobia.

As should be obvious, “Written” is not a film for everyone, and those seeking a comfortable, standard viewing experience might be better looking elsewhere. However, for those willing to go with the flow and attempt to get their heads around Kim’s oddball journey through an increasingly surreal scenario, it does offer many rewards, and though it doesn’t always make a great deal of sense, it manages to impress and hold the interest.

Kim Byeong-woo (director) / Kim Byeong-woo (screenplay)

CAST: Lee Jin-seok-I, Kim Bo-yeong, Lee Sang-hyeok, Park Jin-soo

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