A week ago I learned a very interesting thing about Korean cinema from a
TEDx talk: did you know that the Korean government actively supports its own cinema industry? There is a government-supported, self-administered body called the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) and they make sure two things happen: (1) there is a set quota of how many Korean-made films to be played at their theaters every year and (2) they invest money in studios and give grants to independent filmmakers. In the last twelve years they have invested 43 million USD in 602 films. This means that in a large pool of creative resources a lot of good ideas get funded (unlike Hollywood and its investors who only go after high-profile projects, not really guaranteeing quality but still would like to see $$$$ in the bank) which is good for all of us. Think about that the next time you watch a Korean film.
Going by the Book (released in 2007, but only got a North American distribution this year thanks to 5 Points Pictures) is a brilliant idea. In essence this is a heist film, in which a police chief named Lee Seung-woo faces off against the bank robber Jung Do-man. The twist? It's a simulated bank robbery set up by Chief Lee. Due to a string of bank robberies in the area, the citizens have lost faith in the local police force. Instead of just taking care of it the normal way, Chief Lee orchestrates a simulation as training for the cops. Everybody is in on it: the banks, the cops, the media. Do-man is like the straightest straight man you could think of: he is a disciplined traffic cop who --are you ready for this?-- goes by the book. By lottery, he was chosen to be the bank robber. Do-man of course is hesitant, Chief Lee tells him "do your best" and he gets more than he bargained for. Check out the trailer for more info:
You are guaranteed a few laughs out of this and there might be one groan-worthy moment especially for the members of this community. At the beginning of the film,
Going by the Book starts to go the typical route of obsessive,
lawful-good type cop who might need to loosen up but I'm so glad it didn't play into that been there-done that trap. In fact, it's that type of alignment that makes you wonder about the roles we were meant to play, and what would happen if we started playing for the other team. The meticulous nature of Jung Jae-young's Do-man is played both seriously and for laughs and it's a really enjoyable and exciting thing to watch. It's always a plus when I couldn't even try to predict what will happen next, which I often do. It was fun to watch the hostage situation and how the police force handles it and that is just something you're going to have to see for yourself!
As always, go out there and find this movie. Sit back and enjoy this great unraveling of a traditional heist film before Hollywood finds this film and remakes it to a less superior but more flashy version.
FILM INFO, AWARDS, FESTIVALS
( Read more... )5POINTSPICTURES,
2 for the info, review by moi
The way it usually works is that I get a package for the prizes along with the DVD but I didn't get one for this one and the next movie. T.T sorry. But check it out anyway~ let's just make each movie review post a Korean film recc post, shall we???![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
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fany failed so hard but she was absolutely adorable during it so it's ok bb i forgive you for your inability to throw a baseball even though you've been throwing those signed rubber balls for the last 22 arena tour concerts![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}