Le Gangster, le flic & l'assassin

The Koreans are at it again, serving up a brilliant crime thriller! The film is inspired by true events from 2005 and I love the idea itself. A gangster played by Ma Dong-Seok (the guy has been pulling Korean movies up lately) is stabbed by a serial killer and is forced to team up with a detective to catch the evil killer. Two bad guys have to catch an even bigger bad guy and everything works. The film has a decent drive, charismatic characters (I enjoyed both the likeable cop and the cool sleazy killer), plenty of action and suspense, and an awesome cliffhanger finale at the courthouse that immediately begs for a prison sequel. Great visuals are a given and the Koreans notch up another solid serial killer flick. 80%. (11/07/2019)

Most likely the Asian surprise of last year (I expected that quality from Parasite, but this one was an immensely positive surprise). I have to admit that I haven’t seen a film from the Korean scene this intense in a long time. The cast definitely rules the film, with Ma Dong-seok standing at the very top. This guy is simply incredible; I’ve enjoyed every role of his that I’ve seen so far. He has great charisma and talent, and his presence on screen elevates the film several notches. The role of the somewhat quirky police officer suited the overall tone of the film, and rounding out the trio is a slimy murderer. The story and script were entertaining, with the plot starting to unpleasantly intensify from about halfway through to a grandiose finale. Personally, I rank the ending among the most well-crafted moments of the film. Ending this movie so excellently—just wow (it clearly shows that sometimes leaving doors open for the viewer to ponder what happens next is a bullseye). The action is sparse, but when it appears, it offers brutal and bloody scenes. The film also relies heavily on humor, with countless entertaining and grotesque dialogues and moments. I’m giving it 90%. P.S. If you have the chance to see this fantastic piece, grab it by the horns. (21/04/2020)