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Reviewed 3/29/01 | Background | Movie Review | DVD Review | Recommendation

Background 

Spectrum / 1999 / 112 minutes
Directed by Lee Myeong-Se

Lee Meyong-Se directed five films before this one, beginning with Gagman in 1988. His other films are My Love, My Bride in 1990, First Love in 1993, Distressing to be a Man in 1995, and Their Last Love Affair in 1996. According to descriptions in the excellent Korean Film Archive, these films were all dramas or romances.

The film was released in Korean cinemas at the end of July 1999 and finished third for the year in domestic box office (after Shiri and Attack on the Gas Station). It also was shown in selected cities in the United States during 2000.

Movie: plot, performances, production, rating

Plot: A murder is committed and Detective Woo leads the investigative team. The suspect is identified, but manages to elude capture, always keeping one step ahead of the increasingly frustrated police . . .

Performances: Park Joong-Hoon is the bruising, hulking, slouching Detective Woo, allowing an edge of humanity to peek through his character's rough edges. Chang Dong-Gun plays Woo's partner Kim, a younger cop who tries to exercise restraint while avoiding explicit criticism of the methods employed by his fellow policemen. With few or no words, Ahn Sung-Ki creates a strong presence as the crafty, elusive, and stoic killer.

Production: On the surface, the plot is rudimentary. It seems like police = cat, criminal = mouse, and criminal ends up captured or dead. To a certain extent that's true. As I watched, I wished that the sometimes exotic and extreme style overkill given to the film by director Lee Myeong-Se was used on a more interesting story. Yet the very simplicity of the plot works to the film's advantage. Here one of the staples of the crime film genre is thrown around the room like a ripped, feather-filled pillow; where the feathers may fall is anyone's guess. And the pacing of the film becomes more flexible: whereas the first part of the film races by like a runaway train, as the chase for the killer continues, beautiful landscapes start blooming and rain begins pouring down, to the wild accompaniment of music that ranges from snatches of classical music to cheesy pop songs to late-night electronic fever dream atmospheres. Even as I was ready to dismiss the film as a triumph of style over substance, the two elements collided in the final scenes and left a memorable (if messy) impression upon my brain.

Rating: No - 12. Punishing, bloody, explicit brutality is constantly on display and you may feel yourself the victim of assault and battery by film's end.

DVD: look, sound, subtitles, and features

Look: The letterboxed (1.85:1) presentation is excellent - once you compensate for a manufacturing or mastering error. (Visit Darcy's Korean Film Discussion for a complete explanation). The black levels are rich and very deep, the colors are eye-popping and vibrant, and the fleshtones look natural. The source print is pristine.

Sound: The DD 5.1 Korean audio track is excellent. The surrounds are used extensively and naturally. No other audio track is provided.

Subtitles: The removable, white English subtitles are easy to read. Some mistakes in translation make it difficult to understand two or three times. Also available are subtitles in Chinese and Japanese.

Features: Eight scenes may be selected from a menu that plays video clips for each scene when highlighted. Talent files in Korean only for the three lead actors are included. The theatrical trailer is included. The "Music Video" features the song "Holiday" hauntingly played over images from the movie. The "Making Film" feature is about seven minutes but does not have any subtitles - it shows interesting behind-the-scenes footage and is worth a look. The "Interview" feature runs about three minutes but does not have any subtitles.

Buy, rent, or pass?

Rent. You may hate this film or you may love it but it's definitely worth a rental and perhaps a purchase. Wonderful performances, brutal violence, and startling images will stay with you.

 

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