yonghow

I have long since heard of the excellence of this korean movie on koreanfilm.org, but it was only after reading the review in detail and realizing that the score was written by Taro Ishiwaro ( a well known Japanese musician who also wrote scores for Shohei Imamura and Japanese TV serials, including The Inanimate World ), and that the DOP was Kim Hyung-gu (who also shot Musa, One Fine Spring Day and Chen Kaige's Together) that it stumped on me I was indeed missing a masterpiece.

And a masterpiece it is, one deeply haunting and disturbing asian crime thriller. The mood invoked during the last few minutes of the film is something you would probably never forget.

Watch this film not only for its cinematic brilliance, but also because of the mezmerising score written by Taro Ishiwaro, track no 29 on the OST the favourite on my list.

Yeopgijeogin is indeed one impressionable movie that have surpassed its genre not only as a madcap, slapstick comedy to that of a memorable romantic drama that is able to encapsulate the earlier, more lighthearted material to build on the character and personality traits of the protaganists. As such, the viewer is able to relate fairly easily and with considerable feel as the story progresses to a more sobering ending. My only complain is that some parts of the movie seemed largely irrelevant, for example the deserter at the fairground that wasted much precious screentime. By and large though, a really touching and romantic movie, coupled with excellent music.

On a side note, the director ( Jae-young Kwak ) of the movie appears in a cameo role as a patron at a roadside eatery sitting to the left of the main actor( Tae-hyun Cha ) as the main actress ( Ji-hyun Jun ) runs pass the camera. I spotted this by pure chance as I was watching the dvd of the movie.