Tuesday, September 30, 2008

A Bloody Aria

This is one of the more seriously fucked up Korean films you're likely to see any time soon. Hillbilly hijinks, violent rage and some questionable Korean BBQ are in store, but first a smoldering slow burn as you get to know four freaky local yokels and their chosen victims. Think you've seen it all before? You haven't. This is the kind of film that elicits a sustained "WTF?" during viewing, but stays with you over the coming days and weeks, your mind returning again and again to the perversely messed-up moments of the film. In short, a mold-breaking bit of cinematic trauma that defies expectation at every turn. What's that you say? "Any good?" Oh yes, of course, absolutely. (Keep an eye out for former big-time movie idol Han Suk-yoo as the motorcycle cop, his once-striking features now looking somewhat bizarre on an older face.)

1 comment:

moorl said...

Han's "bizarre" face is part of acting his character, I believe. That same year he played a stuffy court official who came alive only when writing porn. The year before that was a silly comedy about stay-at-home Dads. He looked mighty different in both compared to this Aria cop!