`Private Eye’ Signals New Detective Genre

"Private Eye" (그림자 살인 Geurimja Sarin)
Directed by Park Dae-min (박대민)
Starring Hwang Jung-min (황정민), Ryu Duk-hwan (류덕환)

Debutant director Park Dae-min brings a delicious mix of drama, comedy and adventure in ``Private Eye,’’ which, moreover, paints rosy prospects for South Korean cinema as it signals the potential of homegrown detective films.

Set against the Japanese colonial period (1910-45), the movie invites viewers to hop on coolie-drawn carts and join an accidental Sherlock Holmes (Hwang Jung-min) in tracking down a serial killer on the loose.

If 2007’s ``Shadows in the Palace’’ hinted at the possibility for an Agatha Christie-style suspense, ``Private Eye’’ promises something more solid, and perhaps even a serial franchise. It keeps things smart and intriguing rather than mind boggling or cryptic, and leads the audience half a step ahead in the cat and mouse game. The movie also manages to be entertaining without being too light as it gives birth to a detective with character.

Hwang plays Hong Jin-ho, one of those amiable rude people, whose successful survival is more a factor of luck than skill. He’s nevertheless a detective who is well equipped for the job, with his sixth sense for investigation _ but he keeps far away from dangerous cases that might spoil his hand-pressed suit and white hat. Instead, he pockets money by catching cheating housewives and other small matters that decorate tabloids _ in order to manifest the great American Dream in a country with a larger population and thus more adulterers and more income.

The ``Happiness’’ star brings yet another unforgettable character, and the film actually allows the actor’s immense talents to fully sparkle _ as if to make up for how ``A Man Who Was Superman’s’’ narrative flaws eclipsed the endearing persona Hwang pulled off, and how the suspense factor got lost in the gooey gore of ``Black House.’’

Rising actor Ryu Deok-hwan (``Our Town’’) melts into his role, somewhat reminding you of a young Park Hae-il, as Jin-ho’s unlikely sidekick Gwang-soo. The enthusiastic medical intern finds an abandoned corpse in the woods that would be perfect for dissecting, but his lucky day turns into a nightmare when the dead man turns out to be the missing son of a powerful politician.

Afraid of being accused of murder, Gwang-soo seeks the help of Jin-ho. Our dandy personal investigator refuses, naturally, but is eventually won over by the hefty cash reward. The two are forced to team up and solve the puzzle with a couple of clues found at the murder site, a small pack of white powder and a mysterious Japanese ``karakuri’’ doll.

As the two explore odd corners of old Seoul, the viewer is taken from secret drug rings to exotic Joseon-era circus shows during a time when slaves cost less than cattle. The artist of last year’s hit ``The Good, the Bad, the Weird’’ provides exquisite period details.

Despite their initial bickering, intuitive Jin-ho and brainy Gwang-soo become a productive pair. Meanwhile, Um Ji-won makes a small but memorable appearance as Sun-deok, a quiet noblewoman by day and quirky inventor by night who provides C.S.I.-worthy tips and nifty gadgets for the case.

Shortly thereafter, another important social figure is killed and discarded in the same manner. Here, the movie lets the viewer know whodunit, and the task at hand is to figure out the tantalizing why bit. The police, led by ambitious social climber Young-dal (played by yet another talented actor, Oh Dal-su), are eager to close the case by framing an innocent man. Jin-ho and Gwang-soo, however, discover crucial evidence that leads to astonishing secrets.

English subtitles will be available at CINUS Myeongdong and Gangnam. The movie will be released nationwide April 2. 15 and over. Distributed by CJ Entertainment.

`Scam’ Is Smart Investment

From left, actors Kim Min-jung, Park Yong-ha, Park Heui-soon and Kim Moo-yeol star as con artists in South Korea's first stock market movie ``The Scam,'' which will come to theaters Feb. 12. /Courtesy of Showbox/Mediaplex

The box office can be as difficult to predict as the stock market, and South Korean cinema in particularly is suffering amid the global financial crisis. ``The Scam,’’ the country’s first stock market movie, will undoubtedly prove to be a smart investment. Unlike its scamming characters, newcomer director Lee Ho-jae invests the right way, with a solid, ``inflation-free’’ script and the magic chemistry of a talented cast.

The crime drama draws in viewers without becoming too technical, as it is more about the human desire for wealth than financial matters. Losing tens of millions of won in the stock market can be only a click away on the Internet. ``Click,’’ and hopeless debtors head to the Han River.

Hallyu star Park Yong-ha (SBS’s ``On Air’’) sheds his sleek image to play Hyeon-su, a victim of such a fatal click. After losing everything, he spends five years glued to the computer screen as an unshaven, full-time ``ant’’ (individual investor). He eventually reaches the top of the game after a painful diet of instant noodles and sacrificing the cost of three luxury sedans. He vows to quit once and for all when he achieves his goal, a nine-digit savings account that will support his mother and studious younger brother.

One day he hits the jackpot, not knowing that there are repercussions to disrupting a stock market scam. He ignites the fury of Hwang, a gangster-turned-financier bidding for entry into the top percentile of the rich and powerful. Park Heui-soon (``Seven Days’’) brings another fresh mobster persona, who feigns elegance in his initialized Italian shoes, only to resort to kicking people for dramatic effect. He also begins every sentence with an ``OK’’ even though he cannot tolerate the full English phrasings of his Korean-American partner.

Hwang, however, doesn’t dwell on past indiscretions. He recognizes Hyeon-su’s talents and employs him for the biggest scam yet, also giving him a nice makeover. Hyeon-su joins the other members of Hwang’s dream team for the 60 billion won heist: Min-hyeong, an elite stock broker who doubles as the think tank of fraudulent trades (musical star Kim Moo-yeol makes his big screen debut); sexy private banker Seo-yeon (Kim Min-jung of MBC’s ``New Heart’’); Park, a second-generation chaebol CEO facing a management crisis (veteran supporting actor Jo Duk-hyun); and Bryan (Jun Kim, ``West 32nd’’), a Korean-American fund manager who fakes foreign investment as a ``black-haired foreigner.’’

These are professional stock gamblers who win the house by reading everyone else’s cards. They opt for new scientific technology, the cream of the crop for stock scams. Park’s chaebol company invests heavily in a friend’s new environmental research and Seo-yeon has one of her clients buy the company’s shares. They have a famous broadcaster hype public attention while Bryan creates the illusion of foreign investment, and the cash starts flowing in from blind ``ants.’’

A bigger scam, however, unfolds within the ring of scam artists. Outsider Hyeon-su becomes the ultimate insider as he becomes the pawn in a tangled web of backstabbing intrigue.

As much as the film is about people sitting around gnawing away at money matters and monitoring stock transactions online, space is strictly limited to rooms with computers. Nonetheless, ``The Scam’’ never loses its speedy narrative flow and dramatic tension, which is edged with humor. Moreover, it draws in viewers with a full cast of idiosyncratic characters that breathe with life no matter how small their roles are. In these times of economic woes, such a smart film investment will benefit not only the makers of the movie but moviegoers as well.

In theaters Feb. 12. 119 minutes. 18 and over. Distributed by Showbox/Mediaplex.

`Superman': The Good Samaritan

"A Man Who Was Superman"
(슈퍼맨이었던 사나이; Syupeomanieotdeon Sanai)
Directed by Chung Yoon-chul (정윤철)
Starring Hwang Jung-min (황정민), Jun Ji-hyun (전지현; aka. Jianna Jun)

For ``A Man Who Was Superman,'' director Chung Yoon-chul, the tear jerking maestro behind ``Marathon'' (2005), teams up with superstars Jun Ji-hyun (aka Jianna Jun) and Hwang Jung-min. It's a multi-dimensional story that, while buttressed by the safety net of the American superhero's iconic cultural appeal, is reborn with an unconventional Superman _ a modern-day hero who battles urban apathy and preaches the virtues of lending a hand.

Soo-jung (Jun) is a producer of human-interest TV documentaries. Cynical, worn out and shrouded in cigarette smoke, she doesn't believe in the product she sells, and even resorts to throwing in bits of fabrication to heighten the schmaltziness of her lame subject matter. Sick of contrived drama, she decides to leave with the firm's camera instead of her overdue payroll to shoot ruthless lions in Africa.

But things don't work out, and to make matters worse, a thief runs off with her camera. But then along comes Superman (Hwang) _ a rather odd fellow clad in a Hawaiian shirt _ to the rescue.

And so Soo-jung returns to her dead-end job with a new story. She starts documenting the mystery man and his chronic willingness to help others, like helping the elderly cross the street and rescuing puppies, as well as his obsessive environmental activism, like hand-standing in the middle of the street to ``push off'' the rays of the sun.

What's more, Superman claims he cannot use his superpowers due to a piece of kryptonite (the fictional element in the original cartoon that weakens Superman's powers) stuck in his head. But when an X-ray reveals that there really is some foreign object rooted in his brain, Soo-jung knows she has a hit story.

But even greater surprises await Soo-jung, as Superman starts knocking at her frigid heart.

The film's conquering tactic is fairly simple: overwhelm and amuse the audience with Superman's utterly bizarre existence, while Soo-jung's cynicism and disheartening practicality downplay the absurdity. Viewers will fall in love with the characters and have their hearts broken by the revealing of the tragic secrets of the characters. There's also a biting moral lesson about something we're all guilty of.

The movie explores the ``bystander effect'' _ how individuals are less likely to help others when in a group _ and its traumatizing aftermath. But ``Superman'' is not a bitter social commentary. It's a fuzzy human drama, and counters that feeling of uneasiness by throwing in a ray of hope, thus wrapping it up with a smile.

It works how we expect a movie to. Sure, it's ridden with fairytale conventions, but has a modern edge that make you want to believe in it. The director also showcases a new directorial style by adding elements of fantasy. You need to let go of your inhibitions and just tune into the fun, like the parody of the original comic strip and other surreal scenes.

But despite the comic relief, the first half of the two-hour flick seems to drag out a little too much before reaching the climax. But Hwang works his magic and saves the script.

The director has said Hwang (``Happiness,'' 2007) is the one and only actor in Korea to pull off Superman, and indeed the actor surprises viewers with yet another unforgettable role as he maps out an endless array of emotions. His Hawaiian shirt, strange dance routines and giddy comments might give birth to a new superhero figure.

Jun, on the other hand, manages to pull together a convincing character. But despite her disheveled hair and makeup-less face, her sarcastic character still strongly reflects the oddly lovely girl from ``My Sassy Girl'' (1999).

The film basically says that being Superman isn't difficult. ``The film made me realize I too can be Superman (and change for the better). But I haven't taken action yet, but the thought that I must change, I think, is the beginning. And a good beginning is half the battle, right?'' said Jun at a recent press preview in Seoul.

In theaters Jan. 31. English subtitles available at CGV Yongsan.

>>Read more about what the actors had to say about the movie

Jun, Hwang Become Super Heroes

Hwang Jung-min, left, and Jun Ji-hyun /Yonhap

Hallyu princess Jun Ji-hyun (also known as Gianna Jun, ``My Sassy Girl,’’ 2001) and Korea’s favorite leading man Hwang Jung-min (``Happiness,’’ 2007) may seem like an odd pair, but they have one thing in common: superstar power.

The two join forces in ``A Man Who Was Superman,’’ a story about an unlikely ``hero’’ (Hwang), who goes out of his way to help _ or rescue _ the planet by helping senior citizens cross the street and hand-standing in the middle of the road ``to push away’’ the detrimental effects of the sun. Jun plays the role of Song Su-jeong, a cynical documentary filmmaker who records his story.

A press conference Monday at a Seoul theater buzzed with reporters trying to catch the two stars in the latest work by Chung Yoon-chul, the director who had the entire nation crying with his tearjerker ``Marathon’’ (2005).

The director and actors arrived a little late for the event, and Hwang explained that it was because the emergency exit door was locked. ``I wanted to break it down, but I couldn’t use my superpower. I can’t use it as long as I have kryptonite stuck in my head’’ he said.

Kryptonite is a fictional substance that weakens Superman’s powers in the original American comic series. In the movie, his character claims to have kryptonite stuck in his head, and when Song (Jun) discovers through an X-ray that there really is something in his brain, she knows she has the story of her life.

``I am Superman, a man who is truly Superman at heart,’’ Hwang introduced himself. Hwang is undoubtedly the most high profile actor in Korea, and revisits fans with a third movie just a few months after ``Black House’’ and ``Happiness’’ (2007).

Although Jun was regularly seen on TV through various commercials here, she makes an appearance on the big screen for the first time in two years since ``Daisy’’ (2006). She had also been busy shooting her Hollywood debut piece ``Blood: The Last Vampire.’’

For ``Superman,’’ the actress cut off her signature long silky hair, and her character even suffers from balding. But Jun explained that the hair wasn’t a problem at all _ it was having to smoke that worried her. ``I actually smoked, and it wasn’t as difficult as I imagined. But I put health above everything else, and I asked myself if I really had to hurt my health for my career,’’ she said. When asked rather mischievously if she’d choose a sex scene over smoking, Jun simply said, ``I want to shoot movies that I’d be proud to show my children.’’

But she knew that ``Superman’’ was a big opportunity. ``Although luck was probably involved, I think it’s destiny for an actor to `meet’ new work,’’ she said.

She also admitted feeling a lot of pressure acting opposite her co-star, a bona-fide actor. ``But on the first day I met him, I realized that I have much to learn from him, not only from his acting, but also as an individual,’’ she said.

Hwang also complimented his co-star. ``I was amazed to see myself make such different facial expressions. But it’s because of Jun. Acting is not something you can calculate, it’s a heart-to-heart dialogue, and it was possible because of her.’’

In fact, there was one scene that required 34 retakes because of Hwang, and Jun calls this her ``triumph. I thought that the great actor Hwang Jung-min would just need just one go,’’ she joked.


``This movie shows that it’s not so difficult or a big deal to make a difference in the world, that we can all become Superman,’’ said the director. ``I hope the audience will feel happy while watching the `supernatural’ acting of our actors, and realize the potential in themselves.’’

When asked what they would do if given superpowers, the director said he would help clean the oil spill in Taean, South Chungcheon Province, while Jun said she would start with the little things in life such as a helping a needy neighbor, and Hwang joked he would turn back time to retrieve money he had lost to a bully as a child.

``I am proud to be able to share the successful `localization’ of the American comic strip,’’ said the director, drawing a hearty laugh from the crowd. ``Perhaps you can stay tuned for `A Woman Who was Wonder Woman’ starring Jun Ji-hyun in the future.’’

In theaters Jan. 31.

`Our Town' Deconstructs Murder

"Our Town" (우리 동네, Uri Dongnae)

Directed by Jung Gil-young (정길영)

Starring Oh Man-seok (오만석), Lee Sun-kyun (이선균), Ryu Duk-hwan (류덕환)

Unlike what its title might suggest, director Jung Gil-young’s ``Our Town’’ is not some fuzzy family drama. It’s a crime thriller where five women are brutally killed. Not another serial killer story, you may say. But, again, the film kills your expectations as it takes you on a novel cinematic experience -- a flight into the mind of not one, but two, killers on the loose in what could be ``our’’ neighborhood.

First off, the title needs some explanation. It is a literal translation of the original title ``Uri dongnae.’’ A Los Angeles Times column (July 24, 2006) once highlighted how the Korean language thoroughly reflects the collective nature of Koreans, who prefer the unassuming ``we’’ over the individual ``I,’’ and thus leads to the stapling of group pronouns ``our’’ (uri) rather than ``my’’ in front of objects. So saying ``our house’’ or ``our town’’ creates a communal sense of ownership and establishes a sense of mutual connection.

That’s the irony. This is a violent and disturbing murder story that is definitely not for children -- so the ``our’’ part doesn’t work there. And yet, the movie suggests such horrors can happen next door.

In a quiet, ordinary neighborhood, three women and a young girl are ``crucified,’’ with their dead bodies tied up in the form of a cross in public areas. Kyeong-su (Oh Man-seok), a struggling novelist, impulsively slay his landlady during a nasty quarrel over rent. With the recent happenings around town, he conveniently covers up his crime as the doings of the serial killer.

Kyeong-su’s childhood buddy and police officer Jae-sin (Lee Sun-kyun) begins to suspect the fifth victim was a copycat case. Meanwhile the actual serial killer, Hyo-i (Rue Duk-hwan), begins to track down his copycat.

This isn’t a conventional cat-and-mouse game between the police and killer. The movie immediately reveals the Who, What, When, Where and How, and the action feeds upon the disturbing Why part as the systematic murderer and impulsive killer trail each other’s paths.

Even the most hardened of crime thriller fans will be able to taste something new, as the suspense is rooted in the mind game between two murderers. And it’s more disturbing yet as the story takes place within the context of a neighborhood.

Hyo-i is the great guy next door. He’s the helpful owner of a small stationary store and has the face of an angel. Kyeong-su is also an ordinary guy, but can apparently commit murder when cornered. It shows how, in a spur of the moment, one can give into one’s darkest desires and bestial urgencies.

What the movie does is play with the human thought process, the stark difference -- or lack thereof -- between imagination and reality, wanting to kill and the actual act of killing.

In one scene, the murderer makes a girl sing a song, but still takes her life with a smirk: ``It’s just technique, nothing genuine.’’ Obviously he’s not happy with the singing. Lee Moon-sae’s good old love song is juxtaposed with the inhuman act, making it even more harrowing. It suggests the psyche of the psychopath, someone who kills for the sake of killing without a vengeful motive.

But unlike psychopath films like ``Black House,’’ the movie deals with more ``humane’’ killers and does a decent job of portraying the aftermath of a trauma and the copycat effect on individuals. ``Our Town’’ is an unsettling psychological drama that shows how the act of killing becomes a source of emotional release and rapture for the shattered soul. It deserves some comparison to Jean Giono’s novel/film ``Un Roi sans divertissement’’ (1963).

Although some of the highly dramatized, crisscrossed relationships in the film are slightly clichéd, the bona fide actors -- theater stars Oh Man-seok and Lee Sun-kyun who have recently been giving stellar appearances on TV and rising star Rue Duk-hwan (``Like a Virgin’’) -- give gripping, and disturbing, performances. These are neighbors we definitely don’t want in our town.

`Black House': Bloodbath Dilutes Suspense Factor

"The Black House"
(검은집; Geomeunjip)
Directed by Shin Tae-ra (신태라)
Starring Hwang Jung-min (황정민), Yu Sun (유선), Kang Shin-il (강신일)

Rusty, run down and remote except for the sporadic purr of a passing train, ``The Black House’’ is no haunted mansion but a sinister place where lies the darkest secret of a psychopath __ a monster devoid of any human feeling or conscience.

Featuring a dungeon with nooses hanging down from the ceiling and tainted tubs oozing with blood and dismantled limbs, and a psychopath nearing its next prey with a butcher’s knife while humming an eerie song, ``Black’’ offers chills and frill-free gore.

For portraying the ``truth’’ about psychopaths, the film touches upon some childhood trauma-related matters but gives a one-dimensional generalization. While ``Black’’ tries to strike your nerve by suggesting that there could be a psychopath living next door, it’s not so arresting.

As the thriller fathoms the depths of man’s ``fascination of the abomination,’’ the bloodbath dilutes some of the suspense factor. The film’s suspense factor is slightly drained as it relies more on gore to keep viewers aghast. Like ``master of suspense’’ Alfred Hitchcock famously said, ``there is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it.’’

But the film is deeply disturbing as it unravels from the eyes of a protagonist who is almost as disquieting as the psychopath. Hwang Jung-min (``You Are My Sunshine,’’ 2005) gives an impressive performance that shines through the heavy blood shower.

On his first day of work at a life insurance company, consultant Jun-oh (Hwang) answers a phone call from a woman asking about compensation for suicide. Only after hanging up does he see the employee handbook warning against revealing personal information and expressing sympathy to such inquirers.

A few days later, Jun-oh is lead to a decrepit house sitting in the outskirt of a sleepy neighborhood, where he finds a seven-year-old dead, hanging by the neck. But even more disconcerting is the darting glance of the boy’s stepfather, Park (Kang Shin-il).

Though all evidence point to suicide, Jun-oh is convinced otherwise and postpones the insurance payment. Park stops at nothing to recover his money. Discovering that Park’s wife, Shin (Yu Sun), is covered by a 300 million won plan, Jun-oh tries to warn her before another murder ensues.

As Jun-oh ventures on a harrowing journey to unlock the truth underlying ``the black house,’’ he must protect not only his life but that of his lover.

Based on the best-selling novel of the same title by Yusuke Kishi, ``Black’’ received much attention from international buyers at Cannes in May for its strong script and acting. A Japanese version of the film was made in 1999, and Dimension Film of the United States also plans to film the story.

Popular horror novelist Yusuke Kishi wrote the creepy tale based on his own experience at an insurance company. The writer is said to have expressed great surprise at Hwang Jung-min’s portrayal of Jun-oh, for the actor brought to life the precise image the author had in mind.

Hwang’s role as the unlikely life insurance consultant is probably the most amiable one after Mr. Incredible from Walt Disney’s ``The Incredibles’’ (2004). But his abnormal degree of sympathy is troubling.

Haunted by the skeletons in his own closet, Jun-oh goes out of his way to help others, endangering not only himself but his loved ones. As he battles the stoic psychopath, he desperately tries to locate a trace of humanity in the monstrous being.

This is the third Korea-Japan joint venture following the Cannes award-winning ``Old Boy’’ (2003) by Park Chan-wook and Asian box-office hit ``200 Pounds Beauty’’ (2006) starring Kim A-jung, both inspired by Japanese comic books and brought to screen by the best Korean filmmakers and actors.