*Guns and Talks 7.4
Guns and Talks, Korean movie (2001), 120 min.stars Shin Hyun-June, Shin Ha-kyun, Won Bin, and Jeong Jae-Yeong as four assassins, and
Jeong Jin-Yeong as the detective hot on their tails.
The title of this movie suggests a taut thriller bursting with highly trained killers dressed completely in black, intimidating defense systems, high-tech gadgets, hair-raising getaways, and unexpected plot shockers. At least, it was under such an impression that my brother agreed to join me for an evening of sibling bonding. Little did we know...
Guns and Talks is a movie that exists in a little trans-genre world all its own. Bookmarked by two complex jobs, the middle of the film is a floating series of vignettes stretched over the merest thread of plot: it's there, but barely. The four men are far from sophisticated, gaping with unbrushed hair at the beautiful anchorwoman on news every morning with a slackjawed air of idiocy that isn't entirely absent from their public personas: intimidation is definitely not anyone's middle name. One is a former marathoner who falls very awkwardly in love with a pregnant woman targeted for a hit. Another doesn't really have any distinguishing traits other than being the one entrusted with the gun on missions, and, as a friend pointed out, bearing a slight physical resemblance to Michael Jackson. The youngest, played by Won Bin, waits for the day when he'll be allowed by the leader--his brother-- to shoot a gun, and in the meantime is in charge of girly tasks like procuring food. His train of thought serves as our narrative guide through the film, and he bumbles through that with the same mixed success that he goes through life: a scene dips into the absurd when he, in complete earnestness, gives a melodramatic soliloquy on love. Quirky details round out the comedic undertones of the movie: a runner fails to catch up with the car he is chasing when a red traffic light brings him to a screeching halt. Whenever poised on the edge of fitting into a mold--say, that of drama or suspense--Guns and Talks extricates itself so smoothly that in the end one is not sure how to take the movie; it is amazing to me how this film neatly tied off plot lines while floating and billowing delightfully into unforgettably funny moments. Definitely strange, but also enjoyable.
Verdict: 7.4/10.0 Some slight inconsistencies in the assassination plots, but nothing seriously undermining.
posted by alice @ 10:08 PM
1 Comments:
Hahaha... I'm amused that Clement was "tricked" into watching it with you. I think you'll have trouble convincing him to sit with you thru "Il Mare", "Over the Rainbow" or "Hana and Alice". No guns in any of those movies.
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