A Dirty Carnvial (Screen Daily Review)

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A Dirty Carnvial (Screen Daily Review)

Postby dleedlee » Tue Nov 07, 2006 8:30 pm

http://www.screendaily.com/story.asp?st ... 468&r=true

A Dirty Carnival (Biyeolhan Geori)

Dan Fainaru in Pusan 05 November 2006

Dir/scr: Ha Yu. S Kor. 2006. 141mins.

Updating the theory that war is politics pursued by other means, A Dirty Carnival argues that the criminal underworld is simply corporate business employing different tools. Tracing the rise and fall of an ambitious but insufficiently ruthless Seoul thug, Ha Yu's new feature is reminiscent of Friend, Korea’s best crime movie of recent years, in its treatment of the friendship between an upcoming criminal and his pal trying to make their name through legitimate means.

That these two worlds do not collide but converge is one of A Dirty Carnival’s more jaundiced conclusions and this, combined with a deluge of violent action, should give Western audiences plenty to chew on. A respectable hit at home during the summer, it could become a speciality hit on the international market, although it would benefit from some trimming of its excessive running time.

In his tailored suit and tie, twentysomething Byeong-doo (Jo In-seong) looks like any young executive hungry for promotion and eager to improve the lot of his slum-dwelling mother and wild younger brother.

But Byeong-doo is a petty officer in a Seoul gang, collecting debts for his immediate superior Sang-chul (Yoon Jae-moon). At the top of the corporate-style organisation is the smooth President Hwang (Jeon Ho-jin), who projects the perfectly groomed image of a company CEO, never getting his own hands dirty when there are so many others willing to do so for him.

From the first brawl it is clear that Byeong-doo is tough and determined enough to do his job, although his polite request for a raise indicates that he has not yet matured enough to take the next step up. But when the President requires someone to rid him of a certain lawyer, Byeong-doo jumps at the opportunity, terminates the target and wins promotion.

Gradually he rises in the President’s estimation and is cut into a highly lucrative deal – if he empties his childhood neighbourhood of its inhabitants for the benefit of property developers.

At the same time Byeong-doo meets Min-ho (Nam Gung-min), a film-maker and old friend from school, who asks for his input into his next gangster film. Byeong-doo obliges, in a moment of weakness confessing details of his past crimes in the expectation that they will be kept secret.

But at the premiere Byeong-doo realises his secrets have been splashed all over the screen, putting himself and the underworld operation in imminent danger.

While A Dirty Carnival has the usual mayhem and brutality of Korean cinema, Ha Yu's picture distinguishes itself in how it defines its characters. Byeong-doo may be all cold determination and despondent fury but he also has a conscience and cannot help feeling bad about his deeds, a failing which leads to his downfall. Min-ho, on the other hand, is an artist who believes his film is beyond any considerations of safety, even that of close friends, and that anything that can help him complete his work is fair game.

Above them both are the executives of two worlds, the criminal and the movie, whose moral standards seem largely interchangeable.

The feature’s only shortcoming is the script, which is structured like a classical tragedy in how it sees the fate of its lead character as being pre-ordained but which has an easily predictable conclusion.

Ha Yu draws several slick performances from his cast, including some finely nuanced work from by Jo In-seong, whose unchained acts of violence are tainted by doubts he does not dare divulge.

Photography majors heavily in metallic blue hues that verge on saturation, all rounded off with effective editing.

Production companies/backers
Sidus FNH Corporation
Film Foeta

International sales
CJ Entertainment

Producer
Tcha Sungjai
Kim Mihee

Cinematography
Choi Hyun-gi

Editor
Park Gok-ji

Production design
Kim Gi-cheoi

Music
Cho Young-wuk

Main cast
Jo In-seong
Jeon Ho-jin
Jin Ku
Lee Bo-young
Nam gung-min
Kim Byeong-chun
Kim Yun-hee
Lee Jeong-hyeok
???? Better to light a candle than curse the darkness; Measure twice, cut once.
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dleedlee
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