Do Not Engage.
These three words perfectly encapsulate every major character in this very engaging film from South Korea.
In the pre-credit sequence
we see two very similar (but couldn't be more different) situations
played perfectly against one another. In one, Yoon-joo Ha AKA: Piglet
(Hyo-ju Han) is tailing Kyung-gu Sol throughout the city, attempting to
remain unseen. Immediately we can see that she is uncommonly bright and
observant. In the other sequence, James (Woo-sung Jung) orchestrates a
bank robbery from the top of a sky rise. The results of both endeavours,
though shown to be successful, could also be seen as failures. Both in
the fact that the people trying to remain in the shadows are forced to
engage.
As the plot progresses, Piglet is hired to be in an elite squad of
surveillance experts. The leader, Chief Hwang, organizes his team to
find a suspect from the earlier robbery in the vast city of Seoul
with only a general description. What follows is like a combination of
the "tailing" segment of French Connection and the "surveillance" of The
Conversation with more gloss and less Gene Hackman. Complications arise
and Hwang needs to remind Piglet, that no matter what is happening, it
is their job not to get involved, and only to observe.
On the other side, James is forced into doing more work, which he
reluctantly agrees to. Though he is mostly a spectator/planner, much
like the team hunting him down, he can kick some serious ass when
needed. And he proves that the pen is mightier than the sword. And
possibly an Uzi. Woo-sung Jung really shines as James, a mastermind
criminal; reserved, observant, meticulous and incredibly dangerous.
He is absolutely cold hearted, but you can still see the human being who
wants out without getting caught.
Eventually things are
bound to come to a head, and when they do the film really kicks it up a
notch. Both sides are forced to come out of hiding and have to make life
and death decisions. Some revel in it, some don't. It is akin to the
fluffers on a porn set finally getting to participate in the gangbang!
Kinda.
What works great in the
film is the constant feeling of the team getting one step closer to
James, as he tries to distance himself from his crimes. And when the
action hits, there are some great set pieces. The lower billed team of
criminals and surveillance experts both serve their purposes well,
though they are merely background characters for the leads to work off
of.
This is a very fun
procedural that never tries to attain the heights of a Memories of
Murder, but works very well as popcorn fare. And keep an eye out at the
end for a cameo from a GGTMC favourite who has recently added Korean
cinema to his CV.
MVT:
James. Easily. A great villain who is as brutal as he is smart. The
movie always felt like it kicked it up a notch whenever he was on
screen.
Make or Break:
When James finally realizes he has to take matters into his own hands.
Shit really hits the fan on both sides and makes for fantastic viewing.
Score: 8
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