The Deal (2015)

A police detective and husband take revenge on a serial killer.

Director:

Yong-ho Son

Writer:

Yong-ho Son

Stars:

Ju-bong Gi, Jae-yoon Jo, Eui-sung Kim

Cast

Credited cast:
Ju-bong Gi	...	Chief Choi
Jae-yoon Jo	...	Detective Ki-seok
Eui-sung Kim	...	Son Myeong-soo
Sang-kyung Kim	...	Tae-soo
Seong-gyoon Kim	...	Seung-hyeon
Sung-woong Park	...	Kang-cheon
Yoon Seung-ah	...	Soo-kyung
Sang-Kyeong Son	...	Oh Young-Seok
Geun-Su Won	...	Young Oh Young-Seok

Storyline

Tae-soo has been a lazy policeman, but accidentally he runs into Kang-cheon, whose car is covered with blood. Tae-soo suspects the worker to be the serial killer that kills young women for months. But as they can't find hard evidence, Kang-cheon is allowed to go. Short time later Tae-soo's sister is found raped and murdered and the detective knows who's the one to blame. But as he can't arrest Kang-cheon, he is searching for vengeance aside any legal term. On his own private investigations, he meets Seung-hyeon who lost his wife to the killer. Together they wanna see Kang-cheon suffering and dying for his murders.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Daum [South Korea]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

12 March 2015 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Murder Request

Filming Locations:

Paju, South Korea

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,217,271

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Engrossing crime thriller with some flaws that prevent it from being great

This is one of the most entertaining Korean thrillers I've seen in a while; it feels like it was made by someone who saw all the other Korean crime films and decided to steal a bit from each to make his own movie. That's not bad per se, but each of the borrowed elements feels too familiar. For example, you have a serial killer who operates during rainy nights, a lazy protagonist cop, incompetent police, stereotypical characters who behave just like you would expect and so on.

I admit this first paragraph might have sounded a bit harsh. The Deal isn't a bad movie at all, far from it. It's too well made to be easily dismissed. Director Son Young-ho certainly knows what he's doing and shows a lot of potential in his debut. The films' narrative moves at a quick pace that, in my opinion, seemed perfectly timed for the several revelations and twists it has in store. It often felt like watching a Memories of Murder/I Saw the Devil combo, which is a great thing when you're talking about gritty atmosphere or merciless action. Indeed, there are several brutal fight/action scenes that will leave you breathless and are alone worth the price of admission. They look quite realistic and painful.

Visually, it's a treat. There is no scene here that looks misplaced or not in sync with the rest of the movie. Everything is just the way it should be; every camera angle is in its place and the use of focus in a couple hallucinatory scenes compliments the beauty of every shot. I really didn't expect such a stylish and glossy looking film from a first time filmmaker.

The acting is good, but I do have some complaints. Sang-kyung Kim as the protagonist cop often acts like he's in some grandiose soap opera while Seong-woong Park as the killer sports a sinister smirk that never registers; sometimes he does it even when badly wounded, which is more amusing than threatening. Otherwise, everyone here is decent and there's no one who stands out as a "bad" actor.

Although familiar and predictable to a certain extent, The Deal is very entertaining and immersive. You're likely to see a better thriller than this, but rarely do they fly by as quickly as this one.