The Last Godfather

So what do you do for an encore after Hollywood makes some rather caustic remarks causing some everlasting damage to a director's debut as with Shim Hyung Rae's convoluted D-War affair ? Harken back to the character that made the same man the king of Korean comedy of course ! And so it follows that Shim is the #1 reason why many Koreans will go see the new movie The Last Godfather which isn't exactly a tribute to any lurid Mafia epic but does star veteran Hollywood actor Harvey Keitel as the 1950's Mafia don Carini.

As many fans may recall, Shim's rise to fame to become Korea's top entertainer in which he played the good-humored Young-gu was due to his nightly appearances on TV sitcoms on KBS since the early 90's.

As for The Last Godfather, talk about a flash from the past ! Except for a few costume changes and other theatrics everything does seem to fit the bill all right. That is, once the audience settles in and realizes that yes, he's cast himself in the role of Young-gu, then its pure whimsy! In the new movie in which he ventures off to the Big Apple, Young-gu turns out to be the illegitimate son of a powerful mafia boss. Even after a brief stint training to head the organization, he is no where close to being prepped for all the responsibilities bestowed upon him as Carini's heir . Even though things are suppose to be run exactly the same way a la Carini, poor Young-gu proves to be ever so slightly non-composmentis . He starts becoming chummy with Nancy Bonfante and seems to be perfectly oblivious to the fact that her dad 's the head of the rival mob organization !

So what is the significance of "Young-gu" which means "fool" in Korean to American moviegoers ? Let's put it this way. It's Shim's trademark sense of humor known as slapstick, that in any assessment is the most difficult kind to develop on screen compared to the kind most of us have whether its's dry , sarcastic, witty, or campy. Then again, even if you don't have a sense of humor, you will leave the theater feeling some sense of relief since a minute of laughter usually is enough to feel the same benefits of a work out at the gym! And Shim's brand of comedy developed in The Last Godfather will do that .

However , despite Shim's numerous attempts at directing an entire cast of brilliant talents, one of the major pitfalls that left me a little miffed was that he never brings out the star power of the leading roles and leaves Harvey Keitel's character a little devoid of artistic direction. Plus,it takes two to tango but the pace of the romance between Nancy and Younggu does seem a bit brisk and it doesn't seem that's he's all that interested in his leading lady.

All in all , even though Shim is probably not trying to be the next Korean Francis Ford Coppola, he is smart enough to earn his fair share of accolades for the mastery of CGI displayed in his movies and will surely gain instant recognition from moviegoers worldwide.

This film is not brilliant in terms of plot however it does what it is meant to do - make you laugh! I admit that they are no comedian jokes just silly jokes like falling over and hitting a person with a baseball bat by accident.

This film made me laugh quite a lot when I watched it because it made my family laugh too. These type of films make some kinds of people laugh, not all!

This film is not designed for kids however I think that kids will enjoy this film more that adults as the film don't contain any adult jokes just pure silly falling down and clumsiness.

I am giving this a fair rating which is 5/5 = Moderate/OK film!

I gave it one star only because I couldn't give it zero. Do not watch this movie.

The director has been making movies for kids.

That's why he doesn't show blood coming out of bodies or bodies getting chopped off in his movies. It's not like he doesn't know how to use those special effects. He's not money-driven enough to break his own rules.

It may be unrealistic for adults to watch, but the director sure knows how to make kids laugh and entertained.

Most kids will love it.

If they don't, they have grown up too quickly.

Hope to see Mr Bean and young-gu act together in the next movie.

Sure The last Godfather is silly and stereotypical. It's also nice and sometimes very funny. Just look at it the same way as you looked at good old slapstick. We don't expect Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy to be politically correct, do we? Besides spoofing the mafia genre it also turns Romeo and Juliet into a comedy. Those who complain about the "retarded Asian" stereotype - Younggu is also a very likable character. Moreover he wins, after accidentally inventing new fashion and the Big Mac. There is no need to leave your house to watch this in cinema, but there is no need to avoid it when on television either. It could have done with more jokes and not all of them are great. Still there are enough for some silly enjoyment.