Jo Pil-Ho: Souffle de rage

A great mixture of action, comedy, drama and thriller.

At times this feels like it's a little too much all in one movie, but the film manages to keep the balance between these elements pretty well. Perhaps the main character could have had a little more depth. But overall I really enjoyed it. You definitely won't get bored.

Movie buffs, all around the world will agree unconditionally to the fact that for the past two decades, the hardworking Korean cinema has carved a special respect in their hearts. Their unique treatment to their movies, literally stands apart among movies from lesser know countries on the world cinema map. In addition to their long list of impressive movies on the world stage, Akjilkyungchal is a new addition to the long list, that deserves all the attention. The movie may have a clichéd story and ordinary characters on the surface, but through the course of the film the very same characters laced with some hilarious black comical dialogues, pack a big punch to make the movie an enjoyable affair.

Cinematography is a hallmark for any Korean film and Akjilkyungchal is no exception. Screenplay and storyline is definitely inspired from movies all over the world but thanks to the director Jeong-beom Lee's vision, Akjilkyungchal becomes a different beast altogether and is quite different. Production design, music, costumes and makeup are very good. Editing might be a small letdown, as 126 minutes felt too long in my opinion. On the acting front, Sun-kyun Lee as the corrupt cop delivers a fine performance that is both entertaining and enjoyable, ably supported by other actors.

Overall, If you are a fan of Korean cinema or like cop dramas, Akjilkyungchal is a tailor made film for you. The movie is high on entertainment and is very enjoyable as the characters are extremely delightful, that you will love to see as a viewer. Akjilkyungchal on the whole is much more than a cop drama and a commercial cinema, that will stay inside the mind of the viewer for a long time. 7.1 stars out of 10 for refining a regular cliched story and selling the same to even the most seasoned movie buffs around the world.

The original title was Bad Police, but then changed to Jo Pil Ho: The Dawning Rage. I think this is a clever idea. It changes something that sounds generic into something more personal and intriguing.

Jo Pil Ho is a fascinating character. And Lee Sun Kyun did an amazing job portraying it. A dirty cop who is rude and always up to no good.

The writer also did an excellent job in building up Jo Pil Ho character. At first it was so easy to dislike him (which was intended to be) and as the story unfolded you will likely begin to root for him.

Nothing new with the story it self. But what makes this movie pops is you get the sense how realistic it is. It has realistic characters where they all are no saints. And realistic fight scenes where our protagonist were beaten countless times. This made me even more invested in the story.

One of minus point that i have to mention here is the unnecessary backstory of Sewol incident. It was a shame the writer seemed reluctant to dig deeper into this, using this tragic incident only for a decoration.

And vice versa of course. Korean action cinema has brought us quite a few really great movies and even if you feel this is not as top notch as some of the other outputs, this is still above average to say the least. Walking on a thin line morally speaking and the main actor does a great job keeping us engaged.

The story holds up and you will like where this is going if you are invested as much as most viewers. It's more of a thriller, but the interesting characters and story development makes it feel more "action" based than it probably is. If you like good thrillers, you will like this

If you write a review and then complain that your problem is you can't tell which actor is which because all korean look the same to you, you should not be able to write a review aswell as its just not true. The movie is good, not sure why it has only 6.2, without spoiling anything the plot is not new but the idea is executed pretty well and it keeps you engaged, the acting is very good even from the begining of the movie there is a scene with the main protagonist that looks so real you think someone filmed him without him even knowing so this is a good sign in my opinion. I had a couple of out loud laughs even though you dont really expect it from the movie. I did not like the ending and somewhat reminded me of the recent Parasite in which Sun-kyun Lee (the dirty cop) is in, but of course this is only my opinion. Ignore the low rating and go see the movie its a solid action movie with a very realistic take on the genre.