Juhong geulshi (2004) Reviews

• Intense police drama made with true Asian flare

  Davidon802006-02-05

  Not an easy movie to watch, the plot sometimes meanders and feels as though it is heading towards a brick wall. However the intense climate to the movie will leave many viewers walking away head bowed and slightly traumatised by its conclusion. The movie 'The Scarlet Letter', is one of the many Korean movies that is finding an audience in the west. With Hollywood churning out clone after clone of various genre movies, this Asian invasion could not have come at a better time. It is comforting to know that somewhere creative and challenging cinema is still being produced and distributed. The story of 'The Scarlet Letter' involves a cop, Ki-Hoon, who whilst investigating a murder re-ignites a fling with his lover. The actual case that he is solving serves more as a backdrop with the main story focusing on the marital paradigmn between the protagonist, his wife and the lover. The idea of a hardworking cop being torn between his devotions to the one he loves and duty may not seem like the most original premise. Many a cop movie/series has been devoted to such scenarios, movies like Micheal Mann's 'Heat' or 'Leathal Weapon' spring to mind. Yet what raises this movie above the average cop thriller is the frightening way Asian cinema is able to change the mood of a movie from one frame to another. This is now a hall mark of Asian cinema and is rooted in a tradition whereby genres such as comedy, horror, romance and thrillers can be mixed all together in one movie, take Japanese (Kitano) or Hong Kong (John Woo) cinema as examples. For the last fifteen years Asian cinema has been producing genre defying movies. Korea has now entered into the fray and are producing movies where suspense, romance and terror can be weaved into a narrative and still retain a sense of realism. This is what Hollywood is failing to achieve, with too many Hollywood movies reliant on staple genres and archetype heroes. After a brief respite Asia is once again paving a way for modern cinema to develop and surprisingly Korea seems to be the next port of call for the attention of the movie loving west. A difficult movie to watch, but one that is worthy of your attention.

• Outstanding, Unique, Tragic, Thriller.

  sain112005-11-13

  The Scarlet Letter is an excellent film for fans of unique cinema. Part erotic thriller, part murder mystery, part police procedure, part extreme cinema, but somehow masterfully pieced together into a single cohesive, disturbing, tragic, emotional and intellectually stimulating film experience. The cinematography, sound, music, acting, direction and script are all first rate. Although special mention must go to Lee Eun-ju, who steals every scene in a breathtaking performance, which was tragically her last as she committed suicide shortly after completing this project. Obviously she was in some serious emotional pain in her personal life at the time of filming, which she has used to add a raw and real emotional depth to her character. The storyline is deceptively simple, at first appearing to be a routine murder investigation plot, based on a fairly mundane murder, however as we get deeper into the film this plot takes a back seat to the real story which is a dissection of the investigating officer's (Han Suk-kyu)complicated personal life and his relationships with his wife and his girlfriend (Lee Eun-ju). It is in the complexities of this love triangle that the films true power and force really take place as the characters try to manage their lives as they slowly unravel. This leads to a climax that is emotionally overpowering and disturbing, and totally unique. This is very intelligent, artistic, mature, dark, thriller.

• Shocking and spectacular

  qrs_ina2007-03-13

  Before watching this film, I was quite circumspect regarding the Korean origin. Though, I was intrigued by the fact that the lead actress committed suicide shortly after. In the first part of the film, the plot is rather common- a murder investigation, a policeman's family life, nothing spectacular. But as the plot evolves, it gets more intense. The policeman's life is duplicitous, oscillating between the amenable, newly pregnant wife and a very appealing mistress- the singer Ga-yee. From the time Ga-yee finds out she is pregnant too, everything gets really complicated. She is confronted with Ki-hoon's incapacity to commitment regarding the unborn child and her love for him develops into obsession. In the same time, during the murder investigation, Ki-hoon experiments some sort of physical attraction to the the former wife of the dead man- principal suspect. In a very twisted chance of fate, Ki-hoon and Ga-yee end up locked in the trunk of his car, in an isolated place. The scenes are quite shocking, picturing the raw despair and the dramatic moments are so intense that you almost believe they are real. The paroxysm is reached when Ga-yee has a spontaneous abortion and then begs Ki-hoon to shoot her, which he does. It is worth mentioning that these scenes are very cruel and bloody. The title of the film comes up by Ga-yee's confession that the name she wanted for the baby is Pearl, Hester Pryne's daughter in the novel "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I was very impressed of the ending, in my honest opinion, the actors played excellent some of most complex and hard to imitate human feelings. If I should compare this film to other, it would be with "Irreversible".

• surprising

  tskeffer2008-05-30

  At first I wasn't sure whether I should watch the movie because of some negative comments, but I decided to give it a try. Bearing in mind that I could always turn it off if I didn't liked it. But I was pleasantly surprised. The story was something I never saw before. Very original. The movie has quite a few twists and surprises that makes sure you are never bored and after every new discovery you want to see how it all turns out. I would definitely recommend it to anyone I know. And if you are lucky enough to obtain a copy or can buy the DVD, don't hesitate. 8 out of 10.

• On the cusp of good

  rumfoord2005-08-13

  This is one of those films where you can't help but improvise. It has those scenes where you shout out brilliant, but then proceed to make a few alterations to the already produced script to make the thing workable, if not believable. There are many awful south Korean films out there (for whatever reason, most of them seem to be romantic comedies)-- this is not one of them. Unfortunately this is no "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" or "Sorum" either. There are a handful of brilliant scenes in this film, including one particularly claustrophobic segment that reminded me of a permutation of Tarantino's Kill Bill Volume 2. Unfortunately, these moments are mired in irrelevance, overacting, and implausibility. By all means, have a drink, take the film in -- but be prepared to throw a huge amount of constructive criticism at your TV. Be prepared to start writing a screen play, maybe take up non-linear editing as a hobby.