10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
You Reap what you Sow...., May 31, 2008
This review is from: A Dirty Carnival (DVD)
There has been an overflow of South Korean crime thrillers and even Hong Kong crime dramas have lost a lot of its gritty charisma. A DIRTY CARNIVAL is a crime thriller that has achieved something that other Korean thrillers have failed to do. Director/writer Yu Ha (Once upon a Time in High school) has delivered a crime thriller that is gritty, realistic, emotionally-driven with well-rounded characters that absolutely rivals the best crime dramas that seemed mixed in the usual Hong Kong grittiness with a bit of "Good Fellas" mixed in.
Byung-Doo Kim (Jo-In Seong) is a 29 year old petty gangster who is burdened with the responsibility of caring for an ailing mother, a brother who wants to become a gangster and his family is about to lose their home. He realizes that he cannot continue on like this and he has to also take care of his gang under gang Lieutenant Sang Chul (Yoon Jae Moon). Byung-Doo seizes the moment when the Gang's main Boss; Hwang (Jeon Ho-Jin) who is pestered by a corrupt prosecutor and volunteers to take care of the problem by performing a "whack" job on the corrupt official. Byung-Doo is on the quick rise to power among the ranks, and his "gangster" career seems very secure. One day, he crosses paths with a childhood friend who is also an aspiring movie director named Min-Ho (Nam Gung-Min). Min-Ho wants to get background information on real-life gangsters to create his new film. Byung-Doo finds himself in a web of murder and betrayal in a world where trust and mercy doesn't exist.
The film is very interesting to watch; and unlike most Hollywood mob dramas which portray gangsters as cool, conniving characters, the director instead delivers a film that humanizes the Gang member persona. Byung-Doo is a kindhearted individual entangled in a web of deception and betrayal with no way out but to try to survive. The old adage `make it big or die in the attempt' is actually the film's main theme including family, love and loyalty. The film actually has three elements that make the film very powerful; the rise and fall of Byung-Doo, his love for childhood friend Hyun-Ju (Lee Bo-young) and the love for his family, and the movie within the movie subplot perpetrated by Min-Ho. What would happen if all these pieces of his world collide? Byung-Doo is a decent man in some ways but utterly ruthless in some. He is a fool that believes in his own code that will lead him on the path to ruin.
Now this film is not a weak drama even though there is a lot of emotions underlying in the interactions and reactions. The film does have a lot of violence going for it, there are a lot of brutal fights which is beautifully shot with its realism. As with Yu Ha's previous film; knives, baseball bats and steel pipes are the weapon of choice. The fights are very well done and full of visceral impact. The action sequences are bloody and brutal; and most important of all, very realistically cruel. Yu Ha has created a film which is very dark and only gets darker as the film progresses. There is a lot of adrenaline as the film has a lot of brutality displayed throughout. The movie within a movie subplot is also very effective. This added element actually gives the film a lot of credibility which brings us to its main strength; three dimensional characters.
The characters in the film are well-developed and backed up with a strong screenplay. True, some may argue that at 141 minutes, the film may run overly long but each second is put to good use. The film is never boring and is full of emotional content. True, the film's premise may not be something we haven't seen before but the execution is nearly flawless. Each character is introduced carefully with their own backgrounds and specifically Byung-Doo's love interest Hyun-Ju which I feared was a simple plot device but she turned out to be very viable. So, the director actually spends a lot of time for the audience to get to know our characters. Head Boss Hwang (Jeon Ho-jin) may emulate somewhat of a laid back boss but don't be fooled by his appearance, he is quite ruthless as they come. Byung-Doo's gang lives on their own set of rules such as never to look sloppy and always look well-groomed, their gang integrity is all important. They are a family because they eat from the same table, well-mannered and disciplined in their own way. Even the gang itself is full of depth which I can definitely applaud the director for taking this step.
"A Dirty Carnival" is a crime thriller that warrants a look because of its straight-forward, no nonsense, none glorification of crime elements. The film effectively portrays crime as something to be avoided, although it doesn't point an accusing finger as to why Byung-Doo would stoop to such levels. The film is very solid in its execution that the viewer can forgive its somewhat slow-paced scenes and overlong running time. Director Yu has created a world that is somber but at the same time ruthless and full of violent atmosphere. Kudos to the filmmakers for not forgetting even for one second just how it really is to be a gangster. Intense and full of emotional content, this film will keep you glued to your seat.
Full of grittiness and realism, I stand impressed of Yu Ha's handiwork.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! [4 Stars]
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If Crime Thrillers are Your Poison....., April 25, 2011
This review is from: A Dirty Carnival (DVD)
...check this out. It's about as good as they get.
Byung-du is a lower level thug in the hoodlum ladder. He works for a mid-level thug. Neither he or his crew make that much money so his sick mom and his school tuition strapped sister aren't getting quite the attention they deserve. He sees an opportunity to move up and he grabs it. Things go well for him. More money and more prestige. Through all of this he is trying to woo a woman and help his novice, film-director friend make his first feature length film. Of course, the road to bliss isn't well paved and all good things must come to an end.
This is some great, nearly classic style film making. The characters are introduced and the story unfolds in such smooth fashion you can practically set your watch to it. The main character, Byung-du is very likable. He doesn't particularly like being a gangster but it's all he's good at. He's failed at every other job he's tried. And he likes his friends. The girl he's wooing and his film making buddy are old friends and he truly cares for them and doesn't want any harm to come to them.
This is well shot, well acted, well directed and well cut. The music score is memorable as well. There is some violence here but not an overabundant amount. There is one fight scene however, earlier on in the movie, that is like nothing I've ever seen. That alone was worth the price of admission. But the story is what is happening here. We've seen this before; the rise and fall of a gangster. And not everything in this story is new. It's just that I liked these characters so much and I liked the way the story flowed.
If crime thrillers are your poison.....
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Probably the best Gangster film I've ever seen!!!!, March 24, 2011
This review is from: A Dirty Carnival (DVD)
This is what a gangster film she be like. Really good acting and lots "real" fight scenes. Jo In-Sung is really great and I was able to sympathize with his character.
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