The King (2017)

A man and his personal story of greed - leading into the repulsive quagmire of a corrupt network

In 2017, "The King" is among the top ten movies in South Korea. The story is a prototypical example for a few extremely powerful men(!) manipulating crime, business & politics within South Korean society. In an idiosyncratic style, the movie conveys an insight into an repulsive quagmire of corrupt networks that run through all social classes. It is about the particular imbalance in the realms of public prosecutors and judiciary, which in the 1990s and 2000s was still massively determined by bribery.

The protagonist tells his personal story of greed (it is always people behind a system...) This is about his climbing to the top and the correspondingly deep fall. He accompanies the events from the off while the story unfolds before the eyes of the viewer in trenchant, impressive scenes. At first, you have to get used to this particular style, but the acting, pace, rhythm and camera nimbly catch the audience by the hand and won't let go until the end.

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