This is a very ordinary film and too shallow for my taste of the gangster's life. I'm a fan of HK gangster movies with the familiar themes of honour, loyalty, chauvinism, perseverance and betrayal.
While Kang-ho Song (In-goo) does a pretty job in portraying the troubled gangster with family struggles, he didn't pull me in enough to the conflict between his job, morality and family obligations. I mean, when his character was introduced on the screen, he was on the tail end of a gangster career. How interesting can a movie be if the protagonist is retiring? I couldn't help comparing him to Tony Soprano. While Tony's and In-goo both have troubles in the domestic life, In-goo's working life pails in comparison to Tony's work. Overall, the acting is fine and the ending is somewhat OK. In comparison to other Korean gangster films this one lacks the dynamic conflict, brutality and pain seen in better gangster movies such as "A Bittersweet Life" and "A Dirty Carnival". This film is rather ordinary and ordinary does not make for a memorable film.
While Kang-ho Song (In-goo) does a pretty job in portraying the troubled gangster with family struggles, he didn't pull me in enough to the conflict between his job, morality and family obligations. I mean, when his character was introduced on the screen, he was on the tail end of a gangster career. How interesting can a movie be if the protagonist is retiring? I couldn't help comparing him to Tony Soprano. While Tony's and In-goo both have troubles in the domestic life, In-goo's working life pails in comparison to Tony's work. Overall, the acting is fine and the ending is somewhat OK. In comparison to other Korean gangster films this one lacks the dynamic conflict, brutality and pain seen in better gangster movies such as "A Bittersweet Life" and "A Dirty Carnival". This film is rather ordinary and ordinary does not make for a memorable film.
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