Won Bin...what a dude. Starring in easily what is one of the greatest South-Korean movies I've ever seen, if not one of the best international movies...and guess what? There is NO romance.
Shock horror. As a girl that thrives off romance, it made me consider if romance was the be-all, end-all of life. Frequently, I find myself complaining how horribly it's done, when it IS included, and here I find my answer....don't include it.
The movie, without question, didn't need it!
The biggest reason why this movie was a success, was because of the simple reason behind it. Seo-Mi (the child) is kidnapped, and Cha Tae Sik, this rather secluded pawnshop-broker suddenly erupts into the pent-up ball of man-energy, fighting like a ninja and seeking retribution. His entire motive of entering this shadowy world of drug-dealing was to safe one little girl...but it ended up so much more than that.
Yes, the movie tackles drug-dealing, child trafficking and combining them together in a neat little bow, if that's possible. The whole "harvesting organs" bit came as a total surprise, but I'm glad it was included, because that became an important issue as the others!
My most favourite scene from this beautifully created film, was the most understated. It's a scene that's around halfway through the movie, almost thrown in there as second thought, but for me, was the most cleverest scene out of the entire movie, and if I'm honest, quite a few other movies too.
Why?
Because of the two-fold subtext it provided.
It's the "breakfast" scene (or was it dinner?)....anyway, it's the one where all the children are seated around the table with the curved knife ajussi. The old crone (aka dodgy ajumma) brings in a girl, and tells her to say good-bye. She's dressed in her best clothes, and looks really healthy, and the ajumma tells everyone, she's going to a new home. The girl's parting line is: "Thanks for the nails!" waving her fingers at our very own Seo Mi, who nods her head graciously.
She gets up, and puts a plaster on ajussi's forehead. "If I'm good, do I get to see my mummy?" she asks.
BAM! WALLOP! ZING! Just like that, two subtext planted side by side. When Won Bin sees those nails again (later on the movie), we as the audience realize exactly what happened to the girl, almost step-by-step, without having to actually see it. The curved knife ajussi, with that one scene where Seo-Mi puts a plaster on him, is enough for us to understand why he did what he did, again, later on in the movie.
No superfluous scenes needed. One little kitchen scene is what made the entire movie for me, alongside great acting through-out. I think you'll see when you watch it!!
10/10. Simple as. Great movie, just goes to show romance (sometimes) is not the answer to enticing an audience ^^
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