Gonggongui jeog (2002)

Director:

Woo-Suk Kang

Writer:

Hyeon-jeong Kim (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 January 2002 (South Korea)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

Ruthless cop Chul-joong and a merciless killer in raincoat run into each other in a small alleyway and form a fatal bond...

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kyung-gu Sol	...	Cheol-jung, Kang
Sung-jae Lee	...	Kyu-hwan, Jo
Shin-il Kang	...	Chief Investigator Eom
Jeong-hak Kim	...	Detective Kim
Yong-gu Do	...	Detective Nam
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Matthew Crawford	...	Policeman / Gangster 1 (voice: English version)
Ju-bong Gi
Soon-chang Hong
Kan-hie Lee
Brandon Scott Peters	...	Detective Kim (voice: English version)
Tae-hwa Seo
Ji-ru Sung
Eun-yong Yang
Hae-jin Yu

Also Known As:

Public Enemy (International: English title)
Public's Enemy (literal title)

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Norway:18 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Germany:16 (cut) | Japan:R-15 | Australia:MA | UK:18 | Italy:T

Company:

Cinema Service

Quotes:

Cheol-jung, Kang: No money, I beat them. Don't listen to me, I beat them. His face upsets me, I beat him. There's about a stadium full of guys who got beaten by me.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Kang Chul-jung: Gonggongui jeog 1-1 (2008)

Humor, violence and a morally challenged protagonist meet in this unlikely procedural

Public Enemy is a police procedural, but unlike the average police procedural, the detective is a somewhat inept violent and corrupt cop. While the movie suffers from dragging a little as well as a few minor gaps in logic, the overall impact is a rather engaging, sometimes gruesome, sometimes funny story of a cop and a murderer.

As you have no doubt once the story gets going who the murderer is, rather, the tension is how our troubled hero is going to catch the suspect. Being a lazy, corrupt cop, who stumbles onto the case, it's hard for him to be credible to others. Furthermore, the murderer is a morally bankrupt, but otherwise powerful, wealthy and influential investment fund manager. Along the way, we meet a varied cast of characters, from ex-cons to other detectives who help and hinder our protagonist as the story continues.

There are some problems with the story. We have an overlong introductory period before anything actually happens. On the plus side, it's pretty enjoyable as it is, getting a sense of our not-quite-anti-hero, but a the same time, it lags a little. Also, sometimes other characters' attitudes regarding our protagonist don't convincingly change, seemingly forced by plot, leaving us to try to connect dots that aren't there. These are minor instances, however, so it's not too distracting if you let yourself get caught up in the ride.

Although the film contains both scenes of brutal violence as well as slapstick and character-based comedy, it's all well incorporated, so it doesn't feel disjointed. Our protagonist contains such a dual-sided pathos to him that both elements don't seem out of place in the film.

Technically, this film is well shot and the production values are typical of a post-Corean New Wave film--it looks like a movie that's much more expensive than it is. Direction is competent. The principal actor, the talented Sol Gyung Gu, does an excellent job at making a fallen cop likable enough to follow him. His nemesis suffers a little from a hammy presence, but fortunately, his character is a little "off" anyway, so he passes. Side players, mostly veteran character actors, all do a great job.

In the end, Public Enemy is an entertaining police procedural with some bumps in the story. Due to its violence and disturbing scenes, I can't say that everyone should watch it, but as far as police procedurals go, it has a great concept and executes it well. As such, if you're looking for a story about a cop and the murderer he's trying to collar, this is as good a place as any to go. 8/10.