vanrosss

With multiple twists and a skewed comedic narrative, this art forgery crime caper keeps itself interesting even though we have seen the genre. The crime boss may steal the show, but a lot of work goes into setting everything up. The main characters have their own quirks and history which makes them more believable as movie characters although not with enough individual development to make us really sympathize with them. The third level characters continue the pattern of individual variation which makes for some more comedy and uncertainty as to the next event. The whole very large audience of over one thousand people was laughing loudly and frequently. Definitely worth checking out if you get the chance.

An illegal immigrant resists the social support system causing dire consequences for many. Well filmed and acted even though the story is a bit forced, yet the slow pacing really sets off the conclusion. The feeling of being lost in the big city is effectively conveyed. The little person lost in the big society is something to which we can all relate, but I cannot endorse going out of your way to see this movie.

A couple years after the Korean war, Seoul has only begun to be rebuilt. The first parts of the city reconstructed are for the few wealthy while the majority of the people make do in their squatter huts. The hardships and anxieties of the social and economic devastation are played out by a few people trying to better themselves and those just trying to get by. Hopelessness and chronic unemployment lead to alternative attempts at income and normalcy which trigger a downward spiral.

Review: It was banned in Korea because it was so realistically stark in it's post war depiction. It was similar to and inspired by Italy's "The Bicycle Thief," but not as good. The film was pretty dark so the titles showed up even better. You could see that the locations were real because of the adaptations people had made in their shanties were so numerous & functional. The disparity between the barely haves & have nots was a source of conflict shown by the rubble which also representative of the human spirit. The cinematographic efforts were clearly present, but it was obvious there wasn't much experience with the tools of the trade on hand. The individual character development was complete in that the many problems exemplified by the individuals seemed to be a basic part of their make up, and it was the subtext to their every action. The pacing felt a bit slow at times, and the direction seemed to be trying to copy the film's predecessor rather than break wholly new ground. This film was certainly ground breaking in Korea; that is of course why it was banned. The many actors became their characters and successfully showed their struggles as individuals with their own ways of coping.

Unfortunately, this is not on video, and is a very rare find in the States even though it is such an important work.