| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Seung-Yun Lee | ... | Sun-hwa | |
| Hee Jae | ... | Tae-suk | |
|
|
Hyuk-ho Kwon | ... | Min-gyu (husband) |
|
|
Jin-mo Joo | ... | Detective Jo |
|
|
Jeong-ho Choi | ... | Jailor |
|
|
Ju-seok Lee | ... | Son of Old Man |
|
|
Mi-suk Lee | ... | Daughter-in-law of Old Man |
|
|
Sung-hyuk Moon | ... | Sung-hyuk |
|
|
Ji-a Park | ... | Jee-ah |
|
|
Jae-yong Jang | ... | Hyun-soo |
|
|
Dah-hae Lee | ... | Ji-eun |
|
|
Han Kim | ... | Man in Studio |
|
|
Se-jin Park | ... | Woman in Studio |
|
|
Dong-jin Park | ... | Detective Lee |
|
|
Jong-Seob Lee | ... | Man who Came Back from Family Trip |
Tae-suk (Hee Jae) is a lonely drifter who spends his nights in one empty vacation home after another. However, Tae-suk is not your usual squatter, as the courteous young man always makes sure to show his absent -- and unknowing -- hosts his gratitude by doing small household tasks or making simple improvements before moving on. One day, Tae-suk mistakes a quiet home for an empty one and stumbles across an abused housewife (Seung-yeon Lee) in urgent need of his intervention. Written by Rotten T.
Originality is a rare commodity at any time, but it is in abundance in Kim ki-Duk's 3-IRON. The title refers to a golf club that is used to drive a ball long distances. In this case, the balls are, ultimately, driven into people with painful results.
A drifter who lives in temporarily vacated houses and apartments repays the owners by repairing appliances and watering plants. He meets a sad, abused woman and a non-verbal connection grows.
The magic is in the detail and the extraordinary cinematic clarity of Kim's style. There is the explosive violence that characterized his early films, but this entry is primarily an engaging character study with an existential bent.
What's truly original is the director's adherence to the way he presents his material. The style is consistent throughout and dialogue is mostly superfluous.
This has more in common with SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER...THEN SPRING AGAIN than THE ISLE, ADDRESS UNKNOWN or BAD GUY. Though I enjoyed the material, any subtler and Kim might begin to lose the edge that distinguishes him.
Tonally, the film reminded me of aspects of OLD BOY.