Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)

An idle part-time college lecturer is annoyed by the yapping sound of a nearby dog. He decides to take drastic action.

Director:

Joon-ho Bong (as Joon Ho Bong)

Writers:

Joon-ho Bong (as Joon Ho Bong), Ji-ho Song

Stars:

Doona Bae, Sung-Jae Lee, Hee-Bong Byun

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Sung-Jae Lee	...	Yun-ju
Doona Bae	...	Hyeon-nam
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hee-Bong Byun	...	Janitor (as Hie-bong Byeon)
Su-hee Go	...	Jang-Mi
Ho-jung Kim	...	Eun-Sil Bae
Roe-ha Kim
Jeong-seon Seong

Storyline

The disconnections of urban life. Yun-ju is diffident, almost without affect; his wife is pregnant, and he's wonders if he should bribe the dean to secure a professorship. He's also bothered by a yapping dog that disturbs him in the large block of flats where he lives. Hyeon-nam is equally disengaged; she's a bookkeeper at same block of flats, animated only when she learns of a lost dog. Over the course of a few weeks, three dogs in the building go missing - Yun-ju and Hyeon-nam have a connection to each. So might a janitor. Is it a man-eat-dog world? Is there any cure for this ennui? Can anyone connect?

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | dog | bookkeeper | bribe | lost dog | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

19 February 2000 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Barking Dogs Never Bite

Company Credits

Production Co:

CJ Entertainment, Cinema Service, Uno Film

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joon-Ho Bong's feature directorial debut.

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Connections

Referenced in Growing Up Fisher: Trust Fall (2014)

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Soundtracks

Barking Dogs Never Bite
Composed and performed by Cherry Filter

User Reviews

A Fabulous Start To Bong Joon-Ho's Revered Filmmaking Career

Bong Joon-ho's directorial debut is a cruel yet crazy, demented yet hilarious, and dark yet light- hearted delight that finds the then new filmmaker trying to carve his own distinct narrative style and although it is less refined that his subsequent works, it manages to be a fun & engaging sit from start to finish.

The story of Barking Dogs Never Bite follows an out-of-work individual who, irritated by the sound of barking dogs in his apartment building, resorts to abducting them. Meanwhile, a young girl who works at the apartment complex decides to look into the matter of missing dogs after she receives several complaints from the tenants.

Written & directed by Bong Joon-ho, it's amazing just how confidently crafted his first feature film is. Opening with a scene that's going to upset & infuriate many pet lovers, Bong only goes forward with his wicked sense of humour, coupled with his idiosyncratic set of characters, and manages to come up with several memorable moments out of nothingness.

The screenplay isn't a weak aspect but it did require a bit more polishing. The apartment building provides an ideal setting for its plot to unfold, Camera is skilfully utilised throughout the movie & captures every segment in fine detail, Editing tries to balance its numerous subplots & pacing but succeeds only partially while its amusing vibe is kept alive by its adventurous score.

Coming to the performances, Barking Dogs Never Bite packs an eccentric set of characters, all of whom are expertly brought to life by its lively cast and whether it's the dog-abducting protagonist, his pregnant wife, the disengaged bookkeeper, her fat roommate, building's janitor, homeless guy or the yapping dogs, every single one of them manage to leave their little footprints in the end.

On an overall scale, Barking Dogs Never Bite is a fascinating start to Bong Joon-ho's now revered filmmaking career, and makes use of all the storytelling elements that he would go on to perfect in his later films. Treating its subject matter in a bold yet funny fashion, giving every character their fair share of screen time, and rendered on the film canvas with passion & sincerity, Barking Dogs Never Bite is well deserving of a broader audience.