A Love (South Korea) (Variety Review)

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A Love

Glossy widescreen portrait of a tough guy’s grand amour and rise through the criminal ranks is smooth entertainment.

After a storming start with “Friend,” but a long time in the outfield with bigbudget doozies “Champion” and “Typhoon,” writer-helmer Gwak Gyeong-taek (aka K.T. Kwak) partly recovers form with “A Love.” Glossy widescreen portrait of a tough guy’s grand amour and rise through the criminal ranks is smooth entertainment. But there’s a lack of the emotional power and scriptwriting smarts of the best South Korean gangland yarns -- like last year’s superb “A Dirty Carnival” -- to raise it far above the pack. Asian-centered fests and some specialist ancillary look its best bets in the West.

Locally, pic has performed very well since Sept. 19 release, with 2 million admissions in its first two weeks, giving “The Bourne Ultimatum” a run for its money. Presence of hunk Ju Jin-mo (“Musa”) in the lead role has been one plus here.

Opening reel succinctly sets up the story arc with new boy in class Chae In-ho standing up for a girl and against some tyke bullies. She invites him over for her birthday party and In-ho’s heart is lost.

Flash forward to when In-ho (now played by Ju) is a college judo champ and, in a back alley, takes on feared student badass Sang-woo (Im Seong-gyu). After beating the bejesus out of each other, the two bond; and when troubled Sang-woo and his nutty mom (Lee Hwi-hyang) immolate themselves, In-ho swears to protect Sang-woo’s younger sister, Mi-ju (Park Shi-yeon), forever. She happens to be the same girl he fell for at primary school.

There’s plenty of dramatic material in pic’s first half, as In-ho and his buddy, Nol-bu (Im Hyeonseong), become involved in Busan’s gangster world when smalltime psycho Chi-gweon (Kim Min-jun) kidnaps and rapes Mi-ju. In-ho rescues her but goes to jail for his efforts, losing touch with Mi-ju.

Second half follows In-ho some seven years later, in the present, when he’s the trusted bodyguard of big-company chairman-cumgodfather Yu (Ju Hyeon). But the sudden reappearance of Mi-ju, in a surprising role, tests In-ho’s loyalty to Yu, resulting in a lot of spilled blood.

Dialogue does the job but, unlike writer-director Yu Ha’s “Carnival,” adds no more; and though thesp Ju Jin-mo more than fills the screen physically, and makes a convincing fighter, he doesn’t reach deep down into the character of In-ho. Ditto Park as the winsome Mi-ju. Supports are much more flavorsome, with veteran Ju Hyeon bringing some heft to the story as the kindly but ruthless Yu, Im Hyeon-seong some lightness as Inho’s dumpy friend, and Kim sheer nastiness as In-ho’s nemesis.

Score by Yun Min-hwa overdoes the romantic moments, but other tech credits are tops, as per all Gwak’s pics.

Camera (color, widescreen), Gi Sehun; editor, Park Gwang-il; music, Yun Min-hwa; art director, Jang Ji-yeon; costumes, Choi Se-yeon; sound (Dolby Digital), Gang Bong-seong; action coordinator, Park Jeong-rul. Reviewed at Pusan Intl. Film Festival (Asian Film Market), Oct. 9, 2007. Running time: 100 MIN

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