New Int'l. Release

A Dirty Carnival

Biyeolhan Geori (South Korea)

By DEREK ELLEY

Jo In-seong, right, is a young hoodlum and Cheon Ho-jin a crime boss in Yoo Ha's 'A Dirty Carnival,' from South Korea.

A CJ Entertainment release and presentation of a Sidus FNH, Film Poeta production. (International sales: CJ, Seoul.) Produced by Cha Seung-jae, Kim Mi-heui, Choi Seon-jung. Executive producer, Kim Ju-seong.
Directed, written by Yoo Ha.
 
With: Jo In-seong, Cheon Ho-jin, Nam-gung Min, Lee Bo-yeong, Yun Je-mun, Jin Gu, Park Hyo-jun, Heo Yi-jae, Jo Jin-woong, Gweon Tae-weon.

 

The best Korean gangster movie since "Friend," "A Dirty Carnival" elevates the genre to an epic narrative level as it follows the rise and emotional decline of a smalltime hoodlum. Full of swiftly etched, well-developed characters and peppered with taut action sequences, pic has the kind of long-reaching dramatic span more often seen in regular dramas. With platforming by perceptive programmers, this could become a cult attraction in offshore markets, though critical support will be essential due to the mass of other Korean crimers. Film snagged a healthy but not huge 1.6 million admissions (some $10 million) on summer release.

It's been a good year for Korean crimers -- "The City of Violence," "Bloody Tie," "Running Wild" -- but "Carnival" aces all of them in sheer style and scripting smarts. Fourth feature by helmer Yoo Ha establishes the essayist-writer as the biggest undiscovered talent (at least, offshore) in South Korea's industry, with a career arc that seems to have led inexorably to this first masterwork. Comparisons on many levels with Michael Mann's "Heat" are not out of order here.

Like most gangster classics, "Carnival" is set within a criminal sphere, but is more about human appetites and twisted "family" values than the minutiae of the underworld. Yoo's two previous pics also followed the same oblique approach: Local hit "Once Upon a Time in High School" (2004) was as much about '70s politics as about rebellious high-schoolers, while "Marriage Is a Crazy Thing" (2002) traversed the sexual and emotional landscape of a married relationship without the protags ever thinking of tying the knot.

The cocky Byeong-du (Jo In-seong), 29, is a small cog in a large Seoul jopok (Korean triad), ruthlessly collecting debts but also privately burdened by his family's own financial problems. His mother is being pressured by thugs to sell her house to make room for a development, and his immediate boss, Sang-cheol (Yun Je-mun), couldn't care less.

During a showdown with a rival gang -- an explosively staged, visceral set piece with baseball bats -- Byeong-du profits from a serious weapons transgression of the gangster code by Sang-cheol. As a result, Byeong-du becomes the blue-eyed boy of jopok head Hwang Heui-jang (Cheon Ho-jin), and he cements that relationship by killing a public prosecutor who was threatening to expose Hwang's racket.

Meantime, Byeong-du has bumped into old school friend, Min-ho (Nam-gung Min), an aspiring filmmaker who's writing a gangster script and asks for Byeong-du's help. Unwisely, Byeong-du takes Min-ho into his trust; also, thanks to Min-ho, he meets an old flame, the beautiful Hyeon-ju (Lee Bo-yeong).

Though it lasts some 50 minutes, this giant first act seems to pass in half the time, thanks to the script's fluid narrative flow, smooth editing and use of music. Last favors dance rhythms and Latino-flavored ballads, giving the whole pic a slight danse macabre feel. But it's Yoo's command of structure and his superb dialogue, deftly establishing character and mood, that are the main pluses.

With the ground laid out, the second act starts to mess with the relationships, starting with a nail-biting assassination attempt by Sang-cheol on Byeong-du during a wedding banquet. It also becomes clear Min-ho has used Byeong-du, leading to the third act's showdown.

Complex, multilayered plot manages to keep all characters in the narrative frame. The shocking, unexpected ending, following a powerful set piece in a booming discotheque, sees the cycle of ambition and desire continue, with new players.

Performances are on the money at every level, from Jo (hitherto not a remarkable actor) as the cocky but emotionally needy Byeong-du and Cheon ("The Big Swindle") as the smooth, paternalistic jopok boss. Min nicely underplays the exploitative side of Min-ho and is given at least one scene -- in which he asks Byeongdu what it's like to kill a man -- that shows his own conflict at callously exploiting a friendship.

Smaller roles all get their time in the sun, with Lee making Hyeon-ju much more than just a token g.f. part, and Jin Gu gradually emerging from the dramatic fabric as Byeong-du's trusted sidekick.

Choi Hyeon-gi's widescreen lensing and slightly saturated colors add to the pic's emotional richness, and all other tech credits are tip-top. Original Korean title literally translates as "Mean Streets." The OK English title would sound snappier by dropping the initial "A."

Camera (color, widescreen), Choi Hyeon-gi; editors, Park Gok-ji, Jeong Jin-heui; music director, Jo Yeong-wook; production designers, Kim Gi-cheol, Lee Seung-han; costume designer, Kim Shi-jin; sound (Dolby Digital), Kim Dong-heui; martial arts choreographer, Shin Jae-myeong; special effects, Jeong Do-ahn, Park Gyeong-su. Reviewed at CGV 7, Bucheon, South Korea, July 18, 2006. Running time: 141 MIN.