Contrabandistas

Do take note that this adventure turns entirely on the diving ability of the women. Wonder why none of the men take to the waters to collect all the cargo. Think about that for a bit. The film may not be perfect but it does lay bare the blatant exploitation of the women divers by all the men running their con games. And while the polluting factories killing off the marine life which sustained everyone is mentioned as the source of the fishery woes not much is done with this ongoing reality---though that would make this a very different movie indeed. Soo it's down to just how much evil treatment the women can endure before trying to turn the tables on all the corrupt men. Yes, this does boil down to a war between the sexes by the end--quite literally. And kudos to all responsible for recreating the unique vibe of the seventies from the kinds of cancer sticks, the clothing, to the cars. Plus, who doesn't appreciate great teamwork? Hmm? PS, It's a visual delight.

It's quite a decent film. I had a lot of reservations, not being interested in asian cinema, but the film was captivationg and well-made. The picture is very nice, great camera work, locations, the story in dynamic and interesting, the actors play well. I'd say the only negative element of it is their voices/intonations, I guess it is a part of the language, but oh my dog please stop whining... 2 hours is a good length, not too long, but the story had the chance to develop. It is quite complex as well, it doesn't drag on one spot. People in the cinema were laughing and gasping a few times, so the drama and depiction of the realities of life is there.

This film isn't really about how smuggling worked in the past in South Korea, but rather how ordinary people found ways to share the profits. In this process, there were lives lost due to the risks stemming from legal sanctions, prison sentences, and power struggles among different factions. Essentially, it's about changing the routes. When direct imports became illegal, similar to the current U. S.-China trade war, some underground gangs engaged in third-party intermediaries to earn profits in between. In 'Smugglers,' the movie depicts the use of female divers and fishery vessels for transportation. It also realistically portrays various aspects like repackaging and customs corruption. It reminds me that even if you have a unique skill, you often remain a cog in the profit supply chain, and it takes determination and vision to become a leader or boss.

Ryoo Seung Wan, known for previous box office hits such as Veteran, The Battleship Island, Exit, and Escape from Mogadishu offers a new addition of aquatic crime action genre that's refreshingly great...

The plot is actually about betrayal and diving, but the story is delivered very well by the tension of the dramatic action sequences and the great actings of all the lead characters...

Smugglers have a larger-than-life feel from the very first shot, when a grand drone shot shows us all the striking beauty of sailing the sea on a sunny day, and every further scene maintains that energy...

Kim Hye-soo proves why she remains one of the country's most popular actresses, while Yum Jung-ah manages to stay subtle & underplayed...The fight before climax proves what Koreans are capable once again when it comes to gangster genre...will definitely raise your eyebrows... The two leads have incredible chemistry even when they are at each other's suspicion leading to double or even a triple crossing making a unique script to relish...

I have really liked Korean cinema has been quite interesting within the past years with some great flicks like "Train to Busan, Parasite, Burning, Oldboy, and many other great Korean movies. Unfortunately, despite good performances and a good concept, "Smugglers" just wasn't for me.

Director Ryoo Seung-wan has made movies in the past like "Veteran, The Crying Fist, and Escape from Mogadishu" which I haven't really liked and here, his direction feels all over the place with themes and structure going all over the place. The narrative about 6 women becoming badasses and being smugglers is quite an interesting concept but unfortunately, the narrative is really basic and predictable that makes things uninteresting and lacking. The action had some moments that were pretty good but there were also some really bad action and editing moments. Including some poor uses of green screen during some underwater moments and special effects.

The performances from the cast members were pretty good especially Kim Hye-Soo and Yum Jung-ah as they brought the best energy with their roles. Even good performances, they aren't able to save the movie due to the characters not really being interesting and most of the time, pretty annoying. The dialogue from the characters are pretty bad, the soundtrack is annoying, and with the movie taking place in the 70s, the movie didn't really do a good job capturing the retro feel and there were moments I had completely forgotten that the movie took place in the 70s.

This movie feels like it's trying to be Hollywood but in the worse way. Overall, this one isn't for me.