[Guest Film Review] "The King"

Korean mainstream cinema has been moving towards Hollywood aesthetics and themes for some time now, and the particular one, which seems to draw much from Scorcese's "Goodfellas" and "The Wolf of Wall Street" is a distinct sample of the tendency. When the result is so entertaining as in this case, though, nothing else matters.

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The story revolves around Park Tae-soo, the delinquent son of a petty criminal, who, after watching his father getting beaten by a man much weaker than him, who happens to be a prosecutor, decides that this is what he wants to be. Not having studied in his whole life, though, Tae-soo finds himself perplexed, although the solution eventually is presented to him. After having to face disbelieving teachers, intense antagonism and living in a world he knew nothing about, he manages to enter the most prestigious law school in the country, and eventually, to become a prosecutor. Soon, though, he realizes that his job is not that prestigious, as it involves long hours and meager pay.

After insisting on a case that seems to hide something amiss, of a man molesting a teenage girl, Tae-soo is introduced to Yang Dong-cheol, a man who eventually brings him to the circle of the "1%", of prosecutors that truly move the ropes and make tons of money in the process. Han Kang-sik, an extremely influential man, who retains an archive of everything unlawful the strongest men and women in the country have ever done, and uses it to forward his and his team's goals, is the undisputed head of the group, with his ties reaching from the President to Mafia and from the press to big law firms. Tae-soo becomes a member of the team, and even forms his own mafia connections with Choi Doo-il, a childhood friend who eventually takes over Seoul's underground. As the leadership of the country change, Han Kang-sik manages to stay in power, with Tae-soo benefiting the most by the group's status. However, nothing lasts forever.

Han Jae-rim directs and pens a movie that manages to include a number of popular themes, without, though, hitting the reef of commercialism, and even more importantly, the one of the melodrama. In that fashion, the movie includes the "rise to power" and the subsequent downfall theme, the historical- based on true events background (including actual footage), as many actual, political and non events are used, the corruption deriving from the connection among the press, the judiciary, the politicians and most of all, the mafia. The question of "can a man resist temptation?" is another central theme, with the answer provided being as clear as the consequences of the decision. Add to that some violence, a bit of gore, and a number of gorgeous women in secondary roles and you have the backbone of the film. The only thing that bothered me in terms of story is that the end goes a bit too far.

All of these are presented with a visage very close to the one Scorcese implemented in the aforementioned films, as depicted by individual scenes, like the partying of the group, and general themes, like the one of the poor young man who succumbs to a higher power for money and prestige. However, Han induces the film with much more humor than the American, in a concept that seems to benefit the film, as it does not allow it to succumb to the melodrama.

Kim Woo-hyung's cinematography is impressive, as he manages to capture the essence of each era perfectly, while the use of slow motion and rotating cameras benefit the action scenes the most. The editing in the film is also quite good, with the succession of scenes retaining a fast pace, while the use of popular Korean and international tracks also strengthens the entertainment level, again in Hollywood style.

Zo In-sung gives a great performance as Park Tae-soo, highlighting his character's gamut of statuses with gusto, although his role is not that demanding. Jung Woo-sung as Han Kang-sik plays the role of the "noble villain" to perfection, with the scenes he dances being the most entertaining in the film. Bae Sung-woo plays the perfect lackey as Yang Dong-cheol, always eager to suck up to the boss and lash onto the ones beneath him. Ryu Jun-yeol is also great as the rising gangster Choi Doo-il, retaining a cool and cruel facade in most of the scenes, which seem to benefit his character the most.

"The King" is a great movie, which reminded me of Scorsese's days of glory, and a film that proves that Godard was right when he was saying " It's not where you take things from - it's where you take them to".

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

 

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"The King" is directed by Han Jae-rim and features Zo In-sung, Jung Woo-sung, Bae Sung-woo, Kim Ah-joong and Ryu Jun-yeol.

 

Available on Amazon Video

Amazon Video