Starring: Lee Byung Hun as Jin Hee Jang, Kang Dong Won as Kim Jae Myeong, Kim Woo Bin as Park Jang Goon, Uhm Ji Won as Shin Gemma, Oh Dal Su as Hwang Myeong Joon, and Jin Kyung as Kim Eom Ma
Rating: R, subject matter and some violence
Running Time: 143 min
Twinkies: 2 1/2 (first 50 min); 4 stars for rest
Synopsis: An intellectual crime investigation team goes after company Won Network. The company is involved in a massive fraud case.
Kim Jae Myung is the leader of intellectual crime investigation team. He is smart, charismatic, aggressive and bold to lead the intellectual crime investigation team.
President Jin is the president of Won Network. Park Jang Goon is the Section Chief of Won Network. He is the brains behind Won Network.
Musings: Talk about a movie that truly would have benefited from being way shorter! I swear, as I watched, I was seconds from hanging up the proverbial towel and dropping this as there are so many more movies to watch. My disappointment was palpable as I almost went to the movies to watch this. Had I went, I’m not sure I would have stayed long enough to know that this movie truly gets better for those willing to wait.
Here’s my problem with Korean casting sometimes. They cast people in movies just to attract a certain audience. In this case, Kim Woo Bin fans. I have nothing against him as an actor or person. I liked The Con Artist. Loved him in Friends 2 but the filler moments for the fan girls could have made this movie so much shorter. The good news, there is a silver lining as the story gets so much better after the financial scam by Jin Hee Jang is complete. It is at that point that the chase begins and we get to see some police detecting in motion!
After watching the dismal police procedures on the drama, Voice, it was refreshing to see police doing their jobs! The planning and execution of the Investigative team in not only capturing and ensuring that all the scam victims got their money back was a sight to see. The acting of all the main players was phenomenal. I give props to all of them blending well; newer actors and old.
But the standout for me was Jin Kyung. As Kim Eom Ma, she was sharp, smart and had a great command of the English language. I enjoyed every scene with her and she was a highlight of the movie. Yes, not just window dressing! I’m constantly complaining about that in Korean cinema, so it is great to see a strong female presence for once.
Overall, if you can somehow make it through those first 50 minutes; Kim Woo Bin fans can just skip through for his parts and be happy. But us diehard crime and thriller fans won’t be interested until the last 2/3 of the movie.
Trailer is available on on YouTube Website only. The movie is available on various websites
I’m available on Twitter. Thanks to all of you Twinkles out here who are taking the time to read! If you have a suggestion for a future review, just leave me a comment! I’m always happy to have movie suggestions.
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