Juyuso seubgyuksageun

Its been a while since I've commented on IMDb, the only excuse I have for that is that no film in the past year or two has moved me, or even made me want to comment at all on here.

Well I'm back at it and might I say its an uplifting return. "Attack the Gas Station" by Kim Sang-Jin was above and beyond what I expected for a pick off the blockbuster wall. This film takes you from the beginning all the way to the end, at first you really don't like these protagonist, but near the end you want to join their gang.

Anarchy is an understatement here, The film centers around 4 guys who have all grown a grudge with society for one reason or another, and one night decide to take it out on a little gas station and the enviorment around that station.

This film is awesome, and if you really want to have a good time(Laugh, Root, and Edge of your seat action) WATCH THIS MOVIE.... out of a possible 10, I give it a sparkling DIME!

Don't know what took me so long to watch this film, but it was sure worth the wait.

Taking a single location and having all this chaos erupt turns Attack the Gas Station! into one of the more entertaining foreign films to come out in a long time. With many surreal and absurdist moments, the film is hilarious to boot, while offering some insight into Korean culture.

Unfortunately, much of the humour doesn't translate properly, while many of the cultural nuances will be lost on a non-Korean audience member. Although Ddan-Ra being chastized for drinking Pepsi and supporting American companies, while he defends himself because the Pepsi logo vaguely resembles the mark on the South Korean flag, should be understood by most.

After a conversation with a person more versed in Korean culture, it is easy to see how much gets lost on the non-Korean viewer. The four central characters, set up as a group of tough-guys, play elementary school games during their seige of the gas station (the syllable game, the paper-scissors-rock variant, etc.). While amusing, they don't hold much resonance for a non-Korean viewer, but for a Korean viewer, are much easier to identify with.

Sadly, Sang-Jin Kim's follow-up, "Kick the Moon", lacks much of the absurdism and satire of AtGS, instead punching up the level of violence.

A group of 4 dissatisfied and bored youths set out to smash up and demolish an all night gas station. They soon find that they can make more money if they pose as staff, fuel peoples vehicles and keep the earnings.

The film is constantly amusing and entertaining with some great characters that, despite being nameless (except for 'Bulldozer') are still likable, regardless of their motives. That may sound odd, as after-all, the 4 lead characters are technically the bad guys of the film due to the fact that they are out causing trouble simply because they are bored. And yet you feel no animosity towards them and they are all likable and entertaining right from the start without any need to build up any sympathies for them. There are some tiny flashback moments, and while these may explain some of the characters motivation, the movie would of worked just as well without them.

The movie is well shot and well acted and keeps up its amusing, entertaining pace throughout its almost 2 hour duration.

There are many great moments littered throughout. I especially liked a scene where one of the characters breaks open a vending machine to steal the change, which he subsequently uses in another vending machine to buy a drink.

Other highlights include things such as, the best way to get a bit of background music whilst they are working and why Pepsi might be Korean.

The events that unfold at the gas station are a clever social commentary on the state of Korea, the gas station itself actually representing the country and the people representing the North or South and other nations.

Those that don't pick up on the message (I didn't the first time I watched it), or don't care about the social commentary should still enjoy this as it is an excellent, funny and entertaining movie. The only downside for me is that the subtitles on my version seem to suffer from being poorly translated at times, but that doesn't detract from understanding events or from the enjoyment of the film overall.

On the surface, this tale of a brutal gang who rob a gas station (hence the name!) and take the workers hostage appears to be just another been-there, seen-that Asian thriller, but underneath there's a soft centre waiting to be discovered - short vignettes give us clues as to how these thugs came to be this way, one of the hostages learns to stand up for himself, characters who are even nastier than the robbers end up worst off, and even the thugs themselves get a shot a redemption. OK, it's not especially profound, and like so many Asian films, it suffers from an inconsistency of tone (lashings of violence, swearing, slapstick comedy and musical numbers make for a strange mix) which might alienate some western viewers, but it's fast-moving, never boring, surprising in all the right places and a definite recommendation for a fun evening's viewing.

This movie is so awesome. The anarchy, the insanity and pure emotions unleashed throughout the film. All of these factors make the movie both extremely entertaining and tantalizing. Yes, I agree that this is definitely a morally bankrupt flick, but you actually feel satisfied, and I mean like cartharsis, after the credits that roll finally end(yea, you gotta see the credits too)

Above all, this is one of the best comedies I have ever seen in my life so far. And it's got a great soundtrack too :)

Go Bulldozer! "I only attack one!"