5 REASONS YOU SHOULD WATCH “ THE KING (2017 SOUTH KOREAN FILM)
Politics, corruption and capitalist greed are common themes amongst recent Korean cinema, with anything from the seduction of climbing the sociopolitical ladder, to lớn the tempestuous temptation of fiscal gain, being covered somewhat regularly. By this token, “The King” offers little in the size of surprises, but does serve up an interesting look at the allure of the so-called 1%, & just how destructive hedonistic avarice can be. Sweeping the box office upon release, và subsequently award nominations and victories in the months that followed, this political thriller is unlikely to disappoint, even with its rather overdrawn climax.
Predominantly, the story revolves around the point-of-view character Park Tae-soo (Jo In-sung). In his youth, Tae-soo was a rebel of sorts, an adolescent who ditched studying for fist-fights, & lived his life admiring his petty crook father. However, the disobedient son soon has a change of heart when witnessing his criminal dad kneel before a prosecutor, concluding that it is those who have the brains who hold the true nguồn in life. Thus, he hits the books, và seeks to lớn find his way into a world he is anything but acquainted with.
Despite this, Park manages khổng lồ enter (and then graduate from) the prestigious Seoul National University, consequently achieving both his goal of becoming a prosecutor, và also the type of man he perceives khổng lồ have power và status. Yet, just as briskly as he breaks into the field, Tae-soo ascertains that this lifestyle is not all that glamorous, & often revolves around mundane admin work, with little thanks afforded. Fortunes can quickly change though, and after insisting on probing into a sexual assault case involving an affluent man"s son, the young upstart is introduced to Yang Dong-cheol (Bae Sung-woo), a man who soon helps integrate Park into the 1% of prosecutors. These men, led by Han Kang-sik (Jung Woo-sung), seemingly hold all the sway in Korea, with connections spanning from the mafia to the electorate, và have an expansive archive of unlawful deeds ready to lớn be exposed once “ripened.” They are hardly ethical, but with the rookie desperate to lớn cut his teeth with the elite, finds himself drawn to the shady clique, & in due time, a fully-fledged cog in the alpha-male machine.
Nevertheless, nothing in life is permanent, & although it may take decades, the fresh-faced Park Tae-soo eventually comes lớn realise that the revolving door of sociopolitical positioning can hit you square in the face just as easily as it can welcome you.
In crafting such an unclouded, easily detectable worldview rife with corruption, Han Jae-rim pens & directs a movie seamlessly expansive, và fundamentally gripping. Integrating crowd-pleasing themes such as political manoeuvring, the poor boy"s rise to lớn the top, and the unabetting selfishness that comes with capitalism certainly helps, but Han still incorporates such messages without softening the core of the plot, và never finds himself wholly embracing tropes. That is not lớn say everything is perfect, the overblown oto crash scene và rapidly unfolding revenge arc towards the apex switches the dynamic away from conceivable khổng lồ evidently sensationalised, but largely “The King” is skilful in its execution of the rise, và ensuing fall, of its power-hungry leads.
Furthermore, praise must also be awarded for the snappiness of the feature, with the film cruising through its 135-minute runtime, và never languishing into boring territory. This may be in part due lớn just how meaty the subject matter is (it does span over two decades, after all), with Tae-soo"s omniscient narration guiding the viewer through each year, whilst simultaneously contextualising the work of his clique, but it could also be down khổng lồ Han"s consummate delivery in chopping away unnecessary dialogue và action, & instead focusing on making every scene count. Therefore, “The King” is a relatively breezy watch despite its weighty content, moving along plot points at an undeniably breakneck pace.
On the other hand, và rather disappointingly considering the confidence in the dispatching of the movie"s story, Han does seem lớn leave his main character Park Tae-soo lost in the shuffle at times, rendering him difficult to invest in. For a large portion of proceedings, he is a passive underling lớn the lofty, ambitious Han Kang-sik, & seems khổng lồ observe, rather than act. Consequently, it becomes rather difficult to lớn invest in both Park"s short-lived demise down the social ladder, & his grand scheme of entering the political arena to lớn overthrow his steadfast former boss, as the two arcs simultaneously lack emotional gravitas behind them. Instead, audiences are likely khổng lồ wish to lớn uncover the bludgeoned fate of the 1% in more detail, as opposed to lớn the potential triumph of the archetypal man who succumbs khổng lồ selfish desires before coming good again.
From an acting perspective though, “The King” is near-faultless. Jo In-sung plays the boyish Tae-soo with tremendous flair, gifting him charisma and an unwavering confidence, even in the face of impending loss. Believable in his naivety, as well as in an overriding yearning lớn become the man his father could never be, Jo depicts a morally grey social climber seamlessly. Similarly, both Bae Sung-woo và Jung Woo-sung offer brilliant performances in their respective parts. The former, a tactful, cunning prosecutor who has himself experienced plenty, và invests wholly in the society his boss khủng wishes to mould, is livened by Bae"s enthused presentation, whilst the ring-leader Han Kang-sik is made all the more smarmy thanks to lớn a nuanced performance from the experienced Jung.
Continuing, the technical aspects of the feature are just as impressive. Most prominently, Shin Min-kyung"s astute editing, which utilises real-world footage and musical cues lớn help transition the movie across its timeline, and give it a punchy feel. This approach won Shin awards for his work, & gives an extra layer of sharpness to lớn an already neatly administered production. Additionally, cinematographer Kim Woo-hyoung provides an excellent colour palette throughout the film, making for inviting, warm viewing, & breathing life into the many locations used throughout.
In conclusion, “The King” is an excellent piece of cinema. It may suffer from some of the same hubris it paints its characters with when it tries to unfold into an epic, but when scathingly, subtlety critical of Korea"s society and ruling classes, Han"s fifth directorial effort truly packs a worthwhile punch.
The King (2017) 더 킹
Directed by: Han Jae-rim (한재림)Starring: Jo In-sung (조인성), Jung Woo-sung (정우성), Bae Seong-woo (배성우), Ryu Jun-yeol (류준열), Kim Ui-Seong (김의성), Kim So-jin (김소진)Release Date: January 18th, 2017
Review
Tae-soo (Jo In-sung) is a bad-boy from a countryside town who climbed khổng lồ the vị trí cao nhất of the social hierarchy of power with his unbeatable fighting skills. He realizes one day that his reign will come lớn an over upon graduating from high school so he decides to lớn pursue the life of a career prosecutor which will allow him khổng lồ stay top-dog well into adulthood. So Tae-soo changes his ways & becomes a mã sản phẩm student, blowing everyone away with his academic achievements as he realizes his goal. But just as he enters the world as an empowered prosecutor prepared to lớn fight the good fight, he learns of the top 1% of Korean prosecutors who hold the true nguồn over everything in the country.
The elite group is lead by the revered prosecutor Han Kang-sik (Jung Woo-sung) where money, drugs, & beautiful women are the spoils of their calculated prosecutions. When Tae-soo is recruited into their inner circle at the highest level, he’s stripped of his pride and moral convictions that have guided him to lớn this point, and he learns what it truly means khổng lồ be king in Korea. But the higher he climbs, the harder of a fall he begins to risk.
The Kingboasts a an exquisite visual aesthetic. With its colorful and fun vibe peppered with sporadic moments of high dramatic tension, nearly the entire film looks and sounds lượt thích an expensive music đoạn phim or luxury car commercial. It features a dynamic filmmaking style that employs energetic camera movements và creative editing techniques reminiscent of a Martin Scorsese picture. Và with all the bureaucratic scheming going on, The King feels a lot like Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street although slightly less eccentric và drug-infused.
There are some great moments of top-shelf acting from the amazing ensemble cast in The King. Not only are the household names of Jung Woo-sung (A Moment to lớn Remember, Asura: The đô thị of Madness) và Jo In-sung (The Classic, The Great Battle) great, there are amazing supporting actors like Bae Sung-woo (Beasts Clawing at Straws) & Kim So-jin (The Man Standing Next, The Drug King), as well as Ryu Joon-yeol (Believer, Little Forest). Darkly comic, most of the characters go over-the-top with a lot of exaggerated behaviors as they nobly behave in reprehensible ways. It can be a bit weird at first, but when it becomes clear that The King is going all-in with its tongue-in-cheek approach one can sit back & enjoy the master-class performances for what they are.
The King falters somewhat with its over-reliance on narration which comes in heavy doses from lead actor Jo In-sung. While it helps khổng lồ establish his character’s upbringing & give deeper insight into the moral conundrums he faces, the continued use of narration throughout The King detracts from being able to establish stronger emotional connections with his character. Instead of watching Tae-soo’s relationships develop, he simply tells us how they play out. This makes it difficult khổng lồ generate much sympathy for the character as he spirals downwards, và the third act of The King is left delivering a much softer punch as a result.
The King explores common themes in Korean film that many will have come khổng lồ notice by now. That being the runaway power of the wealthy elite class và a lack of trust in governmental institutions. The King uses footage from some of real-life political scandals that have plagued the country over the years to lớn mark the passing of time that help emphasize a lingering sickness of corruption that when juxtaposed with the fictional caricatures on display help make for a strong and relevant overall point. & with all the film’s eccentricities, The King is ultimately a điện thoại tư vấn to clean up politics và governmental bureaucracy with its central message aimed at empowering the populace to lớn choose their leaders wisely.
