Very loosely based on a real-life story, this film is saved by the glorious music it contains. If it were not for Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite", it would be considered OK Korean film-making. But now the bar has been set very high, with "Parasite" winning or being nominated for many awards.
Now acting is expected to have some subtlety. 'Indicating' as Lee Strasberg called it, is not good enough, the audience has to believe the emotions an actor is showing - pretending doesn't cut it. And mugging for the camera is just embarrassing. So the lead roles almost get a pass here, a couple of the gangsters get a pass +, and the comedy routines are embarrassing.
Maybe it's unfair to judge a film from 2013 by 2019 standards. But blame Bong Joon-ho for that. Korean film-making is now alongside the very best
One other thought: when we are waiting for the lead to finally sing (and yes, we are made to wait - which is OK), we know he's going to be good, but it's still a big dramatic moment, so we are looking to see whether the amazing voice we are about to hear can reasonably belong to the lead actor. Unfortunately in the version available on Amazon Prime streaming, the voice is considerably out of sync with the lips. So the illusion is broken - and we don't believe he's singing. This would be easy for the editor to make right, so is there an issue with the print/file being used for US audiences? Or was the editor just sloppy?
And yet - despite all the above, it is an enjoyable film. The singing will give you goose-bumps. Made a few years later, it would likely have been more than just OK.
