:
Jo Jae-hyeon,
Jo Jae-hyeon,
Seo Weon,
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:
Kim Ki-Duk,
Kim Ki-Duk
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: Not Rated
: Lifesize Ent.
: Drama, Foreign, Korea
: 100 min.
: Korean
: English
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Korean director Kim Ki-duk's film begins with Han-ki (Jo Jae-hyeon), the leader of a gang of street thugs who patrol a Seoul red light district, becoming infatuated with Sun-hwa (Seo Weon), a college girl he glimpses in another part of the city. When he tries to force a kiss on her he is beaten up by her boyfriend, and his obsession takes an ugly turn. After discovering that she isn't as innocent as he originally thought, he finds a way to force her into prostitution on the street where he works. Her painful initiation becomes fodder for his voyeuristic impulses, and an uneasy, wholly unconventional relationship develops between them. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide
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| See evil in shadows?
by Gusil
November 5, 2006 - 12:54 PM PST
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0 out of 1 members found this review helpful
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| I recommend all of Kim Ki-Duk's films, simply because they are all very philosophically and psychologically intense, and it's refreshing to pay attention to my own shadows... His favorite characters are prostitutes, and other violent criminals, and I don't see them as "bad" people, they only represent the "shadows" of this world where light rules over darkness. Once you destructure your own good-and-bad wiring, you would be able to appreciate his films. I am a woman with feminist values, but I wasn't offended by this film's storyline. It's just a fictiion. It's unlikely, but I do feel that the "college student turned prostitute" had her strength of turning it into a small business of their own, working with and providing for the man she loves. |
| Men, Women, Class and Dr. Pavlov
by talltale
July 11, 2005 - 11:47 AM PDT
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3 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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BAD GUY begins on a strong, high note, as a scruffy, uncommunicative but not unattractive man makes a completely inappropriate pass at a young college girl. As crazy as the movie becomes, you'll stick with it due to director Ki-duk Kim's ability to drag you along with him, kicking and screaming perhaps, but there. For awhile, at least.
The only other Kim films I've seen are "The Isle" and his beautiful and stately "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring"--which is evidently a departure for this director. Some have called "Bad Guy" a love story, and I suppose it is, of a sort. It skirts sentimentality for the most part, which is commendable.
In an interview on the DVD's Special Features, Kim explains that the guiding force behind his film are the "class" differences in Korea and how prostitutes and gangsters are not considered at the level of better society. Which makes me wonder if he imagines that these types are considered better society in any country, western or eastern? What finally sank this movie for me were other "differences," chief among them the fact that our "hero," if you can call him that (a riveting, nearly wordless performance from Jae-Hyeon Jo), seems able to handle beatings and stabbings that would put any man I know six feet under, yet is too dumb or uncaring to notice that these very obvious attacks are coming.
The limit is reached when Mr. Jo rises from a pool of his own blood, changes his shirt and--voila--I'm just fine, mommy! Is this another cultural difference that I'm somehow missing? The movie does push the viewer into questioning class, work, love, sex and misogyny. But the director allows his lurid side far too much leeway, while offering little in the way of psychology. You may have better luck, but the only conclusion I was able to reach is that, when you handle a woman as you would Pavlov's dogs, you'll end up with a very Pavlovian lady. |
| An uneasy and unsatisying yet engrossing experience
by markhl
May 22, 2005 - 4:22 PM PDT
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7 out of 7 members found this review helpful
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It is rather difficult to rate Bad Guy as it's likely to hit the audience in very different ways. For most people, this would be a difficult film to enjoy as it lacks any semblance of a logical storyline or contain any characters with whom we can identify or sympathize. Consistent with his earlier work, Kim Ki Duk observes and presents an ugly segment of society without moral judgement nor a clear message. Despite being familiar with the director's unconventional style, I can't help but feel that some more insight into the mind of the female protagonist would've greatly enhanced the film and the impact of the somewhat unrealistic conlusion.
Despite these limitations, I was completely absorbed in the film itself. It continues to amaze me how much Kim Ki Duk can accomplish with so little dialogue and what wonderful scenes that he can paint onto the screen with his use of color and music. I'd recommend Bad Guy primarily to fans of experimental cinema and to those who've enjoyed the director's earlier, more radical, films. There are clearly some loose ends that you need to be able to look past to appreciate this piece. A more recent, thematically similar film by Kim Ki Duk, Samaria, provide a better overall experience and may be a better recommendation for most viewers. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.36)
61 Votes
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