V.I.P.

Although he is a serial killer, there must be some motive to kill him. Despite having more than two hours of screen time, his motive is not clear.

There is no motivation attributed to the antagonist other than 'he is a spawn of demon'. His past in a oppressive system could be taken into account. His father perhaps? But nah. 'He did it because he can' is the best they came up with. And a hint about his reproductive organ. Groundbreaking.

There is no female character in the whole movie and the very few female "characters" exist without any lines other than begging for their lives. They as mere tools for the antagonist to display his cruelness. Most of the scenes with cruelty were unnecessary considering what the audience gathered so far against the character of the antagonist. It is so much that it is hard to not question the motive of the director.

Also some of the scenes of protagonist come off as complete bs. Totally realistic scenes are not what one looks for in action movies but when they are also unimaginative, it leaves a bad taste. Police force ganging up on national intelligence like they are a bunch of street thugs? Really?

This is a power/revenge fantasy movie that is catered for male audience and it doesnt require for much critical thinking. On the contrary, you need to turn it off to enjoy it.

V. I. P." is an impressive action crime thriller, which includes all elements that made the genre a huge success internationally.

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REVIEW:

• The story was really interesting but there were parts that seemed too slow (scenes without action). By the second half of the movie, there were twist and turns happened made things a lot better.
• You would get really mad at most of the scenes but the ending was very good.
• There are so many morbid/brutal scenes. I almost stopped watching in the beginning because of it.
• Action scenes were really good and intense.
• I was shocked to see Peter Stormare (Lucifer from Constantine movie) here.
• I was really amazed at Lee Jong Suk here because he was so scary at some of the scenes. This is the first time I saw him as a villain and he did a great job especially since his previous characters were good guys.
• Jang Dong Gun and Kim Myung-min were amazing in their respective roles.

SHOULD YOU WATCH IT: Your choice. Take note that there are many morbid scenes.

V. I. P. Is a decent action-crime film, but it suffers from a confusing structure and superficial character development.

The story is intriguing and has great potential, but unfortunately, the unclear motivations and relationships of the characters (especially the North Korean and South Korean agents) make it hard to connect emotionally.

Additionally, the slow pace and ambiguity in the first half create a jarring contrast with the relentless, fast-paced action of the second half.

Lee Jong-suk's performance as a cold, dangerous psychopath is truly commendable and the film's highlight.

Overall, despite its fresh premise and strong performances, the film fails to reach its full potential due to weak narrative direction and a rushed screenplay.