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BEASTIE BOYS is a disappointing slice of social drama from South Korea, looking at the unusual situation of a couple of gigolos who work as hosts in bars to entertain women. Usually it's the other way round in these Asian movies, but even this novel twist fails to ignite much in the way of interest in the scheme of things. This is chiefly of interest for seeing Ha Jung-woo in one of his earlier star-making roles, although it's not quite the performance he would give in THE CHASER or THE YELLOW SEA. I was delighted to see Ma Dong-seok pop up in the small role of a money-lending thug whom one of the main characters is indebted to.

This is the story of two gigolos, both young but one a little older than the another one. The elder one has also relationship with the sister of the younger one. He is that kind of guy always gambling, telling lies and owing money to everybody. The youngest one is new in the business, in his twenty some and handsome. He makes the mistake of falling in love with a girl involved in the same business, so he becomes dangerously jealous soon. That's essentially all, not much for more than two hours of length. The movie is sometimes pretty real and sometimes over the top. The setting and description of archetypes are realistic but the actions and reactions of main characters, specially the protagonist, aren't at all convincing. Not a big conclusion after more than two hours, either. There are worse Korean films as there are much better ones. Acting is OK the same as technical aspects (until now I haven't watched a Korean movie that fails in that) but script should be polished. The result is so aesthetically brilliant as conceptually incomplete. Not a mess but unsatisfactory.

This film, also known as "Beastie Boys", is a rather frank depiction of the host/hostess industry in Seoul. We have a big brother and little brother relationship in the two main characters as they "entertain" wealthy, older women in Seoul. As we follow these leads, they start off charming, if flawed. They're cool. They flirt with women, wear expensive clothes, and seem to not have a care in the world as they smooth-talk their way into the lives of their clients. Their shallow and materialistic lifestyles eventually catch up to them, however. We eventually get to see the uglier and more violent side of these men. One is addicted to gambling and lies. The other begins a rather unhealthy relationship with a call girl. Eventually, both of these stories come together.

While Korean dramas can possibly be seen as melodramatic to Western audiences, this film delivers a strong, emotional punch that never seems forced or unrealistic. At the same time, the movie can be slow in spots, but it is certainly worth a rental.

I saw this movie on DVD, and I have to say it took an interesting topic like the world of male hosts who entertain women clients, usually workers in the sex trade.

Jae-hyun is too predictable and too black-and-white as the chronic shyster, while Seung-woo starts to take a rather unrealistic turn toward the end of the movie. I think the director sped up the action too fast (surprising since the movie is more than two hours long) and the plot simply moved in all the wrong directions.

I also think the role of dissatisfied rich women was underplayed in the movie, since they can be major customers of hosts.