Customer Reviews

Attack the Gas Station

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Wacked hard-fisted action with chunks of laughs as four Korean youths take over a gas station holding the manager and his staff hostage, then give customers more gas than they ask for and take the money for it. Things escalate when the four guys don't pay for a whole lot of Chinese food they order, and when they beat up some low-level gang flunkies of a local mob.

What raises this very far above a dupey film is the ultra-smart script. The four guys' pasts are revealed; each has had great disappointment in his past resulting in his current urge to rant and destroy. Music, self-esteem, and parents are the causes.

The ending sequence of mobsters, delivery boys, the youths, the gas station staff, and the cops all converging has to be seen to be believed. Along the way there is enough humor to keep things moving fast and furious. It's great that this film is very far off from taking itself seriously like most dumb American action movies do. This is a superior action film for those who love fast-moving flicks that give you a one-two punch where it counts--in whatever connects your head to your adrenalin and also your laugh muscles.

Way cool.

First let me say: This is a very FUNNY, enjoyable film!
Great plot, funny ideas and well executed in all points. A good laugh akin to those in most black comedies.(I.E. Heathers, Doubles and Big Bully)There's a little 3 stooges mixed in as is commonly found in most asian comedies, but 95% is just dark humor and fun!

Second,I must say this: Warning!
I ordered a copy of Attack the Gas Station from Amazon and much to my utter dismay, it was DUBBED in Cantonese and Mandarin with no Original KOREAN track available! Also, there was no indication of this on the back of the DVD box, so I had to open it, to find out what the audio and subtitle tracks were and thusly by opening it, made it impossible to return to Amazon. So be careful when you buy this movie. Make sure you know what you are getting. At least the print is Widescreen, so one out of two ain't bad. But I just can't see watching this great Korean Film DUBBED! To truly get the LAUGHS, you have to watch it in the original language!

I think that Attack the Gas Station is one of the greatest Korean films ever made. However, the Region 1 (American) DVD version released by Tai-Seng is terrible! The sound and video quality is absolutely dismal. The DVD seems to be a widescreen version but it is a pan and scan version with the top and bottom cut off! There are no extras and the worst part about the film is that it doesn't even include the original Korean audio track! You can only listen to the film dubbed in Mandarin or Cantonese. Tai-seng's releases generally range from awful to mediocre at best and this DVD doesn't do anything to change that.

Attack the Gas Station is an excellent Korean flick involving the life of four troublemakers in a scenario that will change their lives. This is more drama than comedy, however you will find it laugh out loud hilarious when taken into consideration the irony of their situation. By robbing a gas station that has no cash on hand, they decide to hold the gas station hostage while simultaneously working the pumps to get the cash. Throughout the movie, you find out the motivation for each of the trouble makers, and you begin to grow attached to them as you find out their life long dreams. This film features some touching moments, as the troublemakers help a boy fight off bullies, and teach crooked cops a lesson. As long as you aren't expecting a deeply involving drama, or a slapstick comedy, I believe you will really enjoy this film.

I initially saw this film as an import DVD and I have to say that it is one of the coolest films I have ever seen. The film alone really shows that Korea has taken over the role Hong Kong used to have for making the best comedy and action films in Asia. The film is about four Korean punks that hold up a gas station for kicks. Finding out that there is no cash, the four decide to hold the employees hostage and take their places, pumping gas and then pocketing the money (as gas is expensive in Asia). If anyone gives them a problem, they are taken hostage as well. By the end of the film, the four punks have taken over ten hostages and are about to get into a giant rumble with local gangsters, the police and the delivery boys union (as they ordered chinese food and never pay for it). The film has great characters, great music, and a hillarious and unpredictable plot. A truly crazy and entertaining film.

Although this might seem a tad strange, and it is, this urban Korean fantasy is a hilarious tale of rebellion at it's best. It takes boredom to the next level with a common tale about four misunderstood young people with nothing better to do than lash out at society by causing trouble. Watching the trials and tribulations of these four people makes for a highly entertaining film and the wacky humor that ensues is nothing short of insanity. Bullies, delivery boys, gangsters, this film has everything. The humor is pretty random, so it's not for everyone, but those who want a bit of nonsensical fun, should fine this film amusing. It's filled with pleasant surprises and is also surprsingly enduring with a reason for the rhyme, which helps make it more digestible. Anyone looking for a good time, check this film out, it's all kinds of fun.

All i can say is: INCREDIBLE!!!!!!
The actor who plays Bulldog is no less than the "Jim Carrey of Korea." His acting, his facial expressions, his voice tones...everything about his performance is genius. This movie is so incredible, it's amazing that these Koreans did such a good job with it and it never was heard of outside of their country.
The movie is a social satire/comedy/action movie. I'd call it a mix of Fight Club and Natural Born Killers with a much more comedic tone. It's a very serious movie throughout a lot of it also. I can't really explain the beauty of the movie, if you're a fan of 80s teen comedies too, then this will be a good movie for you. It was not made in the 80s it was released in 1999 and it is also not that kind of movie, but some of the characters are comedically portrayed in the same vain.
It's an excellent movie that all should watch!

Viewing instructions: turn OFF the dubbing, turn ON the subtitles. As with most foreign (especially Asian) films, the dubbing is horrendous. Way toooooo much info lost in translation. If you not willing to read the subtitles, I'd skip the this film altogether.

That being said, "Attack the Gas Station" is an awesome film!

Four bored, part-time hoodlums decide to rob a gas station; the same gas station they robbed a week ago, and then the week before that. This time there wasn't enough money for their liking, so they decided they'd run the gas station until they had enough money. Hilarity ensues.

But there are some touching moments that lend to the back stories of the four protagonists, so by the time time the movie picks up the pace a bit, you feel as though you relate to these guys, and at least have a better understanding for what's motivating this ridiculous escapade. Hilarity ensues, again.

Score, picture quality, and extras are all excellent. The making of documentary is well worth watching.

Bottom Line: Remember, don't dub it, sub it! Highly recommended.

You have four kids, each with a backstory (some more developed than the others) showing how their lives have each been more or less dominated by a single idea, only to have that blocked. So they do the only sane thing, and repeatedly attack a gas station. Finding their loot missing on their second try, they decide to operate the station themselves, keeping the money. Meanwhile, various people with various serious issues show up, and some are served, some driven off, some held hostage and we learn about life (not much about love, though) and (probably) something about modern Korea through the eyes of some kids who just don't quite have to the stomach to be truly bad, but at the same time, have decided to manufacture their own shocks to the system.

The leads were charismatic (well, except, oddly, the rocker), the situations funny and the few times the movie threatened to drag it always recovered nicely. A bit slight, and intentionally less-than-serious, there was a sweetness to the entire thing that might have kept it from being great, but ensured it remained entertaining.

Now... about those people locked in the trunk...

The back of the DVD case said something like "riotous send up of Korea's hierarchical society". Well I have no idea what that means, but I didn't let it stop me from enjoying this movie.

Four males in their twenty's rob a gas station. Some time later (probably weeks due to the repairs) the four rob the same gas station "just because". The owner has hidden all the money so the four take over the station and start pumping gas themselves. Collecting cash and the occasional hostage as they go.

Told with the energy of a 1940's screwball comedy AtGS quickly escalates into an all out war between gangs, police, delivery boys, employees and random customers. A lot of fun to watch. I really got into it. The only question I had after the movie ended was what happened to the two people in the trunk of the car?

My favorite scene had to be when No Mark threw the baseball. That was just cool.