Highly Recommended
A slick cat-and-mouse thriller with enough twists, cool set pieces, and solid performances to make it better than the average bear.
Following an out of competition screening at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL (악인전) makes its way to local cinemas. A follow up to director/writer Lee Won-Tae’s 2017 period piece Man of Will, his latest effort is a sharply contemporary thriller.
A serial killer (Kim Sung-Kyu) is stalking is going around stabbing businessmen after rear-ending them with his car. Hothead Detective Jung Tae-Seok (Kim Moo-Yeol) is having trouble convincing his bosses that there’s a connection between the killings. When mob boss Jang Dong-Soo (Ma Dong-Seok) is the only person to survive an attack, it’s a race against the clock to catch the killer before the mob does – at least until Jung puts aside his hatred for gangs and works with him.
Allegedly based on a true story, the thriller takes place in August 2005 against the backdrop of gangs running illegal slots in Korea. Despite the ‘period’ setting, or perhaps because of it, director Lee delivers something that feels both entirely modern in its approach while being a throwback to a kind of kitchen-sink serial killer thriller that could’ve come out of the late 1990s.
Amidst the typical investigative montages and Se7en inspired sprawling-yet-precise notebooks of a serial killer, Lee stages some impressive action as well. There’s at least two top-notch car chase sequences, and one on foot that takes us into the surprisingly tense environment of a karaoke parlour. Lee also uses the physicality of Ma Dong-Seok at every opportunity, whether it’s lauding over his minions like a kingpin in an expensive suit, using a foe as a punching bag, or fighting off a horde of minions alongside Kim Moo-Yul.
Crafted as a showcase for the two main leads, there’s a good bit of chemistry in their interactions. The prolific and multitalented Ma Dong-Seok would be interesting in a bathrobe, and his role his as a villain with a heart of gold is made for him. Kim Mool-Yeol (fresh off the remake of Illang: The Wolf Brigade) is equally charismatic as another anti-hero, a cop with integrity but also a short fuse.
While Lee’s film may have a far too convenient ending, exchanging realism for some dramatic courtroom hijinks, the overall execution is slick one. Indeed, Sylvester Stallone’s production company has already hired Ma for the US remake. So, even if Se7en meets Heat formula may be well worn, but this is proof positive that there’s still room for engaging entertainment with those time-honoured narratives.
2019 | South Korea | DIRECTOR: Lee Won-Tae | WRITERS: Lee Won-Tae | CAST: Ma Dong-Seok, Kim Moo-Yeol, Kim Sung-Kyu | DISTRIBUTOR: Kiwi Media Group| RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 5 June 2019 (AUS)
