Banchigwang

As a long term wrestling fan in Australia I viewed this movie with some trepidation based on the description in our cable movie guide. I was pleased to find the 'blurb' was nothing like the real thing and my interest was well rewarded.

As others reviewers have commented, this film is a mix of two themes interwoven with action/comedy sequences and the boringness of being in banking.

My only disappointment was the ending. Perhaps because I am not Korean I may have missed the significance of some key things along the way.

This is a great film for those who enjoy a good laugh, some great wrestling action wrapped in a cultural gentleness which could teach us in 'the west' something about life.

For me, 8.5 out of 10.

I purchased this movie based upon the recommendations of many people from different websites. Most of them claiming that the movie works well because its comedy is cross cultural.

I don't disagree that when the comedic elements are present - they work well. However, and this is a big however, they are few and far between. The movie fails for me because of its pacing. There is nothing really fantastic going on between the comedic moments. It's just filler material that tries to tell a story about the blandness of a man's life, and his interactions with his environment. It succeeds in showing why he would go into wrestling, but also succeeds in putting the viewer to sleep. I watched it once myself, and watched it again with friends. During the second viewing I had multiple requests to fast forward through dull, drawn-out scenes.

Don't get me wrong, I repeat, there are spectacular moments, but they are few and far between. Rent this or just don't even bother.

Love the camera work, the 1st 10mins really sell the movie for me to hookup.

Like other commenter say, the downside of the movie is the final fight.

It's good but when they go full violence & stiff fight that's not good, I prefer if viewers that watch any wrestling movies know it's not fake but scripted but having 2 guys fight it for real is bad.

Anyway quite impressive because all the wrestlers are actually actors that's quite known in Korea, also the final boss is such a hunk back then I can't believe he actually have superb body thought he's just fat lazy villain these days😅 Solid 7/10, lacking storyline..what's the point of his other co worker with bank.

Can scrap that & just show the interaction with really terrible boss & viewers can relate & enjoy the movie more.

If they scrap that timewasting storyline & make the final fight be good vs evil in a really safe wrestling way this movie can easily be 9-10/10.

I have seen Kang-ho Song in many films: Thirst; The Good, the Bad, the Weird; The Host; Sympathy for Lady Vengeance; Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance; Joint Security Area; Shiri; and now, The Foul King.

There is no doubt about his acting abilities, not of director Ji-woon Kim, who kept things moving and presented a good film.

It was a drama about a man that had no confidence in himself, and developed it only when he took up wrestling. Hiding behind a mask allowed him to be someone else. You can guess the eventual outcome.

It was funny at the same time. Unfortunately, it is not the humor that I especially enjoy. If there was an American remake, it would easily feature Adam Sandler - not a great recommendation.

I watched this film in a park on my laptop, and ended up attracting crowds of people staring at the hysterically laughing foreigner. I figured after having already seen it once, it would be safe to try again as I was waiting on a bus, but the same unrestrained hysterics ensued. As soon as the bus stopped, I made a beeline for the first dvd shop and bought my own copy.

For a film about a masked wrestler, there is surprisingly little cheesiness to this film. We follow a downtrodden banker as he invests his self esteem in the sport, and first see it treated in a very realistic, everyday way, without dramatic music or camera angles and are allowed to see the inherent ridiculousness of it. As the film builds up, and becomes more stylized, it hasn't made a grand statement about wrestling, but allows it to be seen as reality.

With this, the fight sequences become one aspect, while the real heart of the movie are the Mr. Bean like physical comedy bits where the main character tries to get respect in his everyday life. While a few key scenes take place in the ring, the best bits are in the office, on the street or in the park. In tone, pacing and style of humor, I'd call this film the Office Space of Korean cinema.