Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by tinear (A) on October 18, 2008 at 11:04:57

entertaining comedy that also has a lot to say, in a profound way, about modern society and formal religion.
A group of extremely violent Korean gang members, badly wounded and beaten up during a fierce battle, escape with the police and rival gang survivors in hot pursuit. Where to hide?
Their solution is a monastery; but before you think this is too easy--- a set-up wherein good triumphs over all--- violent clashes threaten the very lives of the monks.
As even the casual appreciator of Korean film is aware, the national personality (at least that visible in film) blends a true sense of the macabre with a devilish and very well-developed sense of humor. This film does nothing to contradict that assessment.
Though his men are eager to dispatch the disobedient monks, the gang leader realizes it would expose them to greater danger so he, temporarily, tries to act as mediator. Soon, however, he inexplicably clashes with the lead monk who is not so willing to kowtow. When the gang chief appeals to the senior monastery priest, he finds the man distant, allowing events to unroll at their own pace, to their own end.
A series of competitions to determine if the gang must leave, are clever, hilarious, and hold unexpected outcomes.
What makes this film the treasure it is are the truly exceptional performances of the ensemble and their combined comic talent. There are so many fine actors present, with so many memorable characters, that you actually believe, after the credits rolled, that were you able to knock upon a Korean mountain monastery's door, you would find these men inside.
Though a very different kind of film, I would place this film at the top of ensemble quality, next to "Breaker Morant."
If any Korean film deserved commercial success in this country, this is it.