Man of Men (2019)

Unoriginal but fairly entertaining

An unusual friendship evolves while a lowlife gangster tries to fulfill his court-ordered community service for a top tier rich lawyer who is also a terminal patient, the plot felt very familiar and I could find zero novelty in how the story or characters were delivered. Still, the movie is quite fun and sufficiently works as a popcorn movie.

In my opinion, the director could really save himself by choosing a veteran cast to bring deadly typical characters to life. Playing an old-fashioned thug, whose overconfidence doesn’t match his gaudy style, treating his car better than his brother, speaking bluntly to everyone in Busan dialect, and fooling around with his boss’s money, this character is made for Choi Jin Woong, he is funny and entertaining!

Meanwhile (Sol Kyung gu) delivers his character in a more moderate sense. He infuses charisma, even to a remorseful wheelchair-bound dying man, and his honest performance prevents the cheese from overflowing in sentimental scenes. Both leads’ acting makes you sympathize with their characters even though their situations are highly unrelatable.

Add to that two powerful supporting actors; “Heo Joon ho” as the scary boss (who could be scarier), and “Jin Sun Gyu” as the loyal friend, with moments of gang brotherhood, I mean who doesn’t love those!!! There’s a scene by the end with the two friends in the car where Jinwoong pretends to be dead after being badly beaten, although cheap, I found it hilarious xD

The quality production and main-stream standard cinematography help, so overall it’s good enough to pass time, can be more rewarding if you love the cast. Honestly without them, I’m not sure if l'd have finished this movie.

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