Byul
La La Land
A Soulful Survival Thriller *No Spoilers*
My anticipation for this movie never waned since its filming began, why? 'cause nothing can probably go wrong in a crime thriller featuring four young talented actors, who also came with a "BONUS"! I was highly rewarded when it finally came out, the reason why I decided to delay this review till my excitement dies down, but time made it only grow on me! So I'll mention the elements I loved about this movie, may it help future viewers enjoy it as much as I did.
The charm of this movie heavily lies on performance! The young cast portrays a group of boys, who are by no means professional criminals, just some lost youngsters who committed petty crimes trying to find a way to survive in a devastated economic state of a dystopian SK. Lee Je Hoon fits perfectly as (Jun Seok), more or less their gang leader who seems to have the dominant word but is also very protective of his friends. Because he is the mastermind behind their audacious try to rob a gambling den, he got the most mental suffering for involving his friends in an escape-or-die chase, his guilt keeps haunting him in form of nightmares and sometimes vivid daydreaming. Lee Je Hoon could amazingly portray recklessness, care, persistence, panic, regret, and vengeance throughout the movie. It makes me want to mark it as his third-best performance after "The Front Line" and "Bleak Night", the debut gem of same director Yoon Sung Hyun, which also starred Jung Min, whose presence is hard to ignore despite his limited screen time here as (Sang Su). Their reunion was honestly another thing to be excited about!
Besides these two, there is the more pragmatic Ki Woo (Choi Woo Sik), who cares for his family as much as he does for his friends, yet his character felt quite limited to show the actor's real potential. Indeed, Woo Sik chicness was alive (couldn’t take my eyes off him lol). We also have Jang Ho (Ahn Jae Hong) who seems to have the dearest bond with Jun Seok and the one whose actions are greatly driven by his loyalty and devotion to their friendship, his friends are basically his only family. I'm saying this because sometimes their actions are not well-calculated, in other words, seem foolish or stupid, but I couldn't complain as it's all so consistent with their personalities.
Here I have to highlight the gripping chemistry among the 4 friends, and how their mostly unspoken bond and endearing brotherhood is brilliantly expressed. Clearly, the over 2-hour long movie dedicates much of its time to keep you invested in their characters, their fears, and fates.
Most importantly, though, and the thing that really hit me so hard without even realizing it is their constant struggle with the world and facing life challenges with nowhere to escape. It's symbolized through the simple heist premise but director Yoon manages to let the feels of anxious perplexity and uneasiness seep into you. As an emotional viewer, I find this aspect praiseworthy, something that makes this movie deeper than just a typical thriller!
That doesn't mean the movie is lacking in thrill or suspense though! it was a bit slow at first but as soon as the heist begins, it turns to a nerve-wracking, almost a horror-thriller topped with plenty of gun action. Much of the tension is created by the"BONUS" (Park Hae Soo), who played the role of a terrifying ambiguous assassin “Han”. He was tasked to hunt the boys for what they stole, but the hunt will keep haunting them forever, for a twisted reason! Han’s ominous presence sent chills down my spine and I swear you'll get to see the terror in Jun Seok's eyes.
Directing and heavily manipulated lighting are other things to praise! It gave the movie a dark tone and added a new view to tropes like the bar, garage, hospital, abandoned building scenes. As others mentioned, the dystopian theme isn’t at all developed, it seemed to be there to provide reasoning for their awful decisions and bewildered fates, even though it can be easily replaced by a more realistic theme. Despite that, It for sure provided for cool yet grim settings and contributed to the dreading nature of their chase. Finally, the credit song plays to release some of the uneasy feelings about the open ending, hoping and fearing a sequel. (I keep on looping and still can't get over that song (Passing by- Ron))..
For all the things mentioned above, I give "time to hunt" a full 9! It is definitely recommended..may not be one of the best k-thrillers out there cause it felt so experimental, yet it left a big impression. I’d die to see this collaboration again!!
The charm of this movie heavily lies on performance! The young cast portrays a group of boys, who are by no means professional criminals, just some lost youngsters who committed petty crimes trying to find a way to survive in a devastated economic state of a dystopian SK. Lee Je Hoon fits perfectly as (Jun Seok), more or less their gang leader who seems to have the dominant word but is also very protective of his friends. Because he is the mastermind behind their audacious try to rob a gambling den, he got the most mental suffering for involving his friends in an escape-or-die chase, his guilt keeps haunting him in form of nightmares and sometimes vivid daydreaming. Lee Je Hoon could amazingly portray recklessness, care, persistence, panic, regret, and vengeance throughout the movie. It makes me want to mark it as his third-best performance after "The Front Line" and "Bleak Night", the debut gem of same director Yoon Sung Hyun, which also starred Jung Min, whose presence is hard to ignore despite his limited screen time here as (Sang Su). Their reunion was honestly another thing to be excited about!
Besides these two, there is the more pragmatic Ki Woo (Choi Woo Sik), who cares for his family as much as he does for his friends, yet his character felt quite limited to show the actor's real potential. Indeed, Woo Sik chicness was alive (couldn’t take my eyes off him lol). We also have Jang Ho (Ahn Jae Hong) who seems to have the dearest bond with Jun Seok and the one whose actions are greatly driven by his loyalty and devotion to their friendship, his friends are basically his only family. I'm saying this because sometimes their actions are not well-calculated, in other words, seem foolish or stupid, but I couldn't complain as it's all so consistent with their personalities.
Here I have to highlight the gripping chemistry among the 4 friends, and how their mostly unspoken bond and endearing brotherhood is brilliantly expressed. Clearly, the over 2-hour long movie dedicates much of its time to keep you invested in their characters, their fears, and fates.
Most importantly, though, and the thing that really hit me so hard without even realizing it is their constant struggle with the world and facing life challenges with nowhere to escape. It's symbolized through the simple heist premise but director Yoon manages to let the feels of anxious perplexity and uneasiness seep into you. As an emotional viewer, I find this aspect praiseworthy, something that makes this movie deeper than just a typical thriller!
That doesn't mean the movie is lacking in thrill or suspense though! it was a bit slow at first but as soon as the heist begins, it turns to a nerve-wracking, almost a horror-thriller topped with plenty of gun action. Much of the tension is created by the"BONUS" (Park Hae Soo), who played the role of a terrifying ambiguous assassin “Han”. He was tasked to hunt the boys for what they stole, but the hunt will keep haunting them forever, for a twisted reason! Han’s ominous presence sent chills down my spine and I swear you'll get to see the terror in Jun Seok's eyes.
Directing and heavily manipulated lighting are other things to praise! It gave the movie a dark tone and added a new view to tropes like the bar, garage, hospital, abandoned building scenes. As others mentioned, the dystopian theme isn’t at all developed, it seemed to be there to provide reasoning for their awful decisions and bewildered fates, even though it can be easily replaced by a more realistic theme. Despite that, It for sure provided for cool yet grim settings and contributed to the dreading nature of their chase. Finally, the credit song plays to release some of the uneasy feelings about the open ending, hoping and fearing a sequel. (I keep on looping and still can't get over that song (Passing by- Ron))..
For all the things mentioned above, I give "time to hunt" a full 9! It is definitely recommended..may not be one of the best k-thrillers out there cause it felt so experimental, yet it left a big impression. I’d die to see this collaboration again!!
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