[HanCinema's Film Review] "The Childe"

After starting his career as a script-writer for genre sensations such as "I Saw the Devil", Park Hoon-jung took also the director's chair for himself, coming up with some of the most successful movies of the latest years, with "The New World", "Night in Paradise" and the two parts of "The Witch" being among the most renowned. Now, he comes up with another action thriller, which follows in the footsteps of "A Bittersweet Life", "The Childe".

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Marco is a Kopino, as the people of mixed Korean and Filipino descent are called in Filipino slang, who struggles to make a living and to find money for his sick mother to undergo an operation that will save her life boxing in local arenas. Eventually, a local friend who functions as his mentor of sorts and is also trying to build a school for Kopinos in the area, informs him that his search for his father has been crowned with success, and the man who gave birth to him is actually a Korean mogul. His people eventually visit Marco in his house and urge him to come to Korea with them. In the meantime, the young man stumbles upon Yoon-ju, a mysterious woman, who first hits him with her car and then takes him to the hospital, while in the airplane to Korea, a dangerous looking man introduces himself as a friend. In Korea, on his way to meet Director Han, heir apparent to the conglomerate of his father, the aforementioned "Friend" makes his appearance once more, although this time, he is not exactly friendly. As Marco is trying to realize who his foes and who his friends are, he stumbles upon a case much more complicated than he anticipated.

The movie is essentially split in two parts, with the move to Korea functioning as the dichotomy. The first one, taking place in the Philippines, does entail a number of moments of action, but also moves intently into family drama territory, with the poor Marco trying to do anything, including illegal activities, in order to save his mother, but finding himself betrayed again and again, a tendency that actually extends to the whole story. The comments about 'half-breeds' and the poor and how they are exploited and stripped of opportunity emerges as the main social comment here, through a dramatic approach that works well overall. Also of note is the concept of English-speaking, which, in many Asian countries, is considered the difference between the poor and the rich, with Park 'playing' with the concept throughout the movie, also for comedic reasons.

As soon as the setting changes to Korea, however, action takes almost completely over, in the most impressive fashion, while the focus changes essentially, with the Friend taking a more central stage. The car chases give their stead to gun shooting, and martial arts sequences, with the way that Marco is set in the background practically, working quite well, as it highlights how he is being a pawn in a much bigger game. The juxtaposition with who is evil and who is good, only to be revealed that a number of characters dwell in gray areas also works well, retaining a very appealing sense of mystery essentially until the end.

However, it is when the story starts taking place inside the family's house that the action finds its apogee, with the brutality and the overall stylized approach being the one that will remind many of the aforementioned Kim Jee-woon film. Hwang Jin-mo's action direction finds its high point in those rather intricate scenes, while the same applies to Shin Tae-ho, Kim Hong-mok and Lee Teo's cinematography, which is impressive, though, throughout. The scenes with the well-dressed gangsters being bloodied from the top down will definitely stay in mind, while the excellent editing of Jang Lae-won, also meets its zenith in those scenes, along with the car chases. Overall, the pace here is as fitting as possible, with the change in speed in the second part being ideal.

Lastly, it is also worth noting the way Park Hoon-jung intersperses humor throughout the movie, occasionally in the most unexpected moments, highlighting his rather intelligent sense in that regard, and presenting scenes that can only be described as hilariously ironic. The ending may be somewhat prolonged, but it is this sense of hilarity that actually makes it worth it.

Kang Tae-ju as Marco is convincing as the victim, and he does shine even more close to the end, but the one who steals the show here is definitely Kim Seon-ho as The Friend, whose sociopathic demeanor actually carries the film from beginning to end. Kim Kang-woo as Director Ah is also great to watch in another villainous role that stands out.

Some plot holes do appear throughout the movie, but as a whole, "The Childe" definitely makes sense, while its second part provides a very entertaining return to the Golden Age of Korean action thrillers.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"The Childe" is directed by Park Hoon-jung, and features Kim Seon-ho, Kang Tae-ju, Kim Kang-woo, Go Ara, Kwon Hyuk-hyun. Release date in Korea: 2023/06/21.