K-lover61
UK
Hell hath no fury....
Nov 2023
TW: Sexual assault, suicide references
Very fast paced, violent, bloody, with a couple of real "OH!!!" moments.
The background story is provided whilst playing out in the present. The character of the Ballerina in question, Min-hee, is sweet, quirky and never came across as weak, but an incident in her relatively young life proved too much.
I got a strong feeling that the seemingly lonely girl she befriended, Ok-ju, actually loved her. There was just something in the way she looked at her at times.
That friend, an ex bodyguard with no ties and seemingly nothing to lose, takes up a challenge left by her friend and, basically, WW3 breaks out not long after!
At its heart this is purely an action thriller, not deep or realistic. However, the seedier side of life that Min-hee gets tangled up in, over the last few years in S.Korea (and elsewhere), has proven to be all too real, in one form or another. That makes for a very uncomfortable and quite sickening watch at times.
In many ways it's also quite a satisfying watch, especially when the main characters are women who take no 5hit, are tough, capable and exceptionally determined.
My brain didn't even have time to register when things got OTT, because it was too busy being stunned!
Jeon Jong Seo, as the Best Friend, Jang Ok Ju, was superb. God she must be fit, as it was a very physical role. She rarely smiled, wasn't noisy or overly emotional, yet neither was she miserable, depressing or emotionless. Her immediate reaction to loss was very real to me.
Kim Ji Hoon, as Choi Pro, is an actor I've come to love. He is so much more than his looks and unlike many actors, isn't typecast, so when he appears, one doesn't know if he's friend or enemy. He has no qualms taking on really unpalatable characters, or sweeter, fluffy roles.
Whilst adding a little dark humour to proceedings, which I like, at the same time I found the weapons dealers suggested to Ok-ju by her ex-boss, to be a bit daft in terms of what they were offering; was her ex-boss trying to get her to fail?! It didn't sit right, even though it was amusing. Great supporting role for Kim Young-ok, however. I love this senior actress.
There were references to corrupt police and powerful people in this, but they were not seen or, more annoyingly, held accountable, as is too often the case in K-dramas and film. That, as usual, irritated me.
Overall, it felt like a very quick watch and, I felt, quite different in its story and vibe; but it certainly won't be for everyone.
TW: Sexual assault, suicide references
Very fast paced, violent, bloody, with a couple of real "OH!!!" moments.
The background story is provided whilst playing out in the present. The character of the Ballerina in question, Min-hee, is sweet, quirky and never came across as weak, but an incident in her relatively young life proved too much.
I got a strong feeling that the seemingly lonely girl she befriended, Ok-ju, actually loved her. There was just something in the way she looked at her at times.
That friend, an ex bodyguard with no ties and seemingly nothing to lose, takes up a challenge left by her friend and, basically, WW3 breaks out not long after!
At its heart this is purely an action thriller, not deep or realistic. However, the seedier side of life that Min-hee gets tangled up in, over the last few years in S.Korea (and elsewhere), has proven to be all too real, in one form or another. That makes for a very uncomfortable and quite sickening watch at times.
In many ways it's also quite a satisfying watch, especially when the main characters are women who take no 5hit, are tough, capable and exceptionally determined.
My brain didn't even have time to register when things got OTT, because it was too busy being stunned!
Jeon Jong Seo, as the Best Friend, Jang Ok Ju, was superb. God she must be fit, as it was a very physical role. She rarely smiled, wasn't noisy or overly emotional, yet neither was she miserable, depressing or emotionless. Her immediate reaction to loss was very real to me.
Kim Ji Hoon, as Choi Pro, is an actor I've come to love. He is so much more than his looks and unlike many actors, isn't typecast, so when he appears, one doesn't know if he's friend or enemy. He has no qualms taking on really unpalatable characters, or sweeter, fluffy roles.
Whilst adding a little dark humour to proceedings, which I like, at the same time I found the weapons dealers suggested to Ok-ju by her ex-boss, to be a bit daft in terms of what they were offering; was her ex-boss trying to get her to fail?! It didn't sit right, even though it was amusing. Great supporting role for Kim Young-ok, however. I love this senior actress.
There were references to corrupt police and powerful people in this, but they were not seen or, more annoyingly, held accountable, as is too often the case in K-dramas and film. That, as usual, irritated me.
Overall, it felt like a very quick watch and, I felt, quite different in its story and vibe; but it certainly won't be for everyone.
Was this review helpful to you?
