Ya-soo (2006)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Sung-su Kim

Release Date:

13 January 2006 (South Korea)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Two men who will remain in your hearts.

Plot Keywords:

Stabbed To Death | Cremation | Threat | Mutilation | Police Raid

Cast

Sang-woo Kwone	...	Jang Do-young
Ji-tae Yu	...	Oh Jin-woo
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kil-Kang Ahn	...	Yang Ki-taek
Seok-hyeon Jo	...	Instructor
Yun-seok Kim	...	Joo Hyun-tae
Jung-Hee Moon
Byung-ho Son	...	Yu Kang-jin
Ji-won Uhm	...	Kang Joo-hee
Dong-geun Yun

Also Known As:

Running Wild (International: English title)

Runtime:

124 min | 144 min (director's cut)

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:NC-16 (edited version) | Malaysia:(Banned) | Germany:18 | Japan:R-15

Filming Locations:

South Korea

Company:

Popcorn Films

Disappointing Korean cop drama

'Running Wild' stars Kwon Sang Woo (Love So Divine) as chain-smoking jaded homicide detective Jang, who has lost faith in the judicial system and now pursues a maverick line of police inquiry. He's after a cruel crime lord called Yu, but thus far he's been unable to pin the guy down. Also after Yu is an elite prosecutor, Oh, played by Yoo Ji Tae (Old Boy). In contrast to Jang, this character is obsessive that rules and procedures must be obeyed. I think you can guess the next bit! Jang and Oh's paths cross and this mismatched pair form an uneasy alliance to bring the bad guy down. But to do this, they have to fight fire with fire and break the rules.

This sounds quite good on paper but sadly it doesn't work on screen. Maybe it was too ambitious as a directorial debut from Kim Sung Soo and most certainly it was miscast. Kwon Sang Woo is best known for light romantic comedies and a host of tear-jerking TV dramas in which he excels. I can't blame the actor if he wants to break away from that mould, but somehow he's just too handsome. So having unkempt hair, sporting an incongruous moustache and shouting a lot doesn't convince me that he's been through hell and high water in a police department.

There are a lot of action scenes, most of which sadly fail to impress. Apparently, director Kim Sung Soo is a protégé of Park Chan Wook. He still has a lot to learn. If you want to see a great Korean film about a maverick cop, then check out 'Public Enemy'.