My overall opinion is that it's a good movie. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, but for someone that likes thriller action movies then it’s quite enjoyable (granted you can bear a two hour movie full of politics and a struggling desperate chase that leads to nothing).

How to make it or break it = The Characters:
The point is that I really liked it, or rather, I believe it could’ve been a masterpiece if only it didn’t lack a relatively important aspect: a soul.
The whole movie was dragged by the plot, which of course made time pass and the viewer invested in the story, trying to unravel it; but that’s not enough. The characters were completely empty. And not because they lacked personality, it was because they Only had a personality. They were just there. There were no flashbacks or backstory to any character -if not small hints here and there about one chara- which made them feel flat and soulless. They weren’t wholesome characters that you can connect with, where you can understand their actions by that past and history that we aren’t shown here. They weren't people. Gwang Il was such an interesting character, but he was painted so poorly, that at the end even he felt empty. Jong Suk’s astonishing acting was what made me go on, because even if his character wasn’t wholesome at all, Jong Suk was able to portray him in a way that can make up a little bit of that lacking. But, ultimately, even Gwang Il was so empty I just wanted him dead in the end. It was so bitter how the director didn’t give space for any character to just, be, and be understood. To see their past, how they became what they are, what is their view of life, what are their goals or dreams, what are their traumas or weaknesses, what are their limits, what they care about…
All these things are what make characters lovable, human, and it’s how the viewers can resonate within them. In V.i.p. there’s only a story which happens, and then it’s over. In the end I couldn’t really like any of the characters, although I didn’t exactly hate them either. There wasn’t Enough of each one for me to hate or like. It was like watching a documentary; a situation is depicted and explained and then the situation is no more. That’s what this whole movie felt like.
I’ll probably be forever bitter that Gwang Il wasn’t developed to his full potential.
This makes me think of the question I always ask myself; and which I hope the directors asked too, by introducing his specific type of character: Is a monster born or is it created?
Here as well, the movie featured a character which fell in the category of that question, that’s why I hoped this theme would be delved in. It wasn’t though. It’s a shame really, because it had so much potential. I would’ve loved to watch 2 hours of Gwang Il’s past and development, and the detective’s too; without so much politics (just like they did in Hwayi or even the subtle way they did in Believer).

The chase that led to nothing, our not-so-righteous-police-officer:
As I said before, this movie was dragged by the plot. The story was everything there was to it. And I don’t mean a meaningful story full of morals and such, I mean event after event which eventually led to an ending. Most of these events where conducted by the Police officer -who's name I don’t remember and I doubt someone does, because of the confusion made by the dozen of names that kept being thrown inside the film- that was dead set on catching the serial killer and bringing him to justice. As soon as he saw Gwang Il, our officer was convinced the young man was the one he was looking for. Granted that he was right, of course, whatever mess happened next was… a mess. The officer kept chasing, having Gwang Il in his hands, and then losing him again. It was exasperating to watch and the only thing that didn’t make it boring was Jong Suk with his god tier performance. Eventually, the officer gets shot one time in the face and two times in the chest -and miraculously survives??- and his mission gets carried on by the Intelligence guy. I don’t know if this twist seemed random only to me. It was quite anticlimactic to be honest, mostly because the Intelligence agent was unlikable and we didn’t know much about him. The first time I saw his character I swear I though he was the secretary, but then he transforms in a bad-ass killer that tortures and, in a final moments, kills Gwang Il; proceeding to cut off his head and present it to that annoying American agent. The ending was ‘unrealistic’ and lukewarm, although I didn’t completely dislike it. On the contrary, I liked how it connected back with the beginning of the movie, closing the circle. But it still seemed like the story in the end didn't lead to anything, there didn't seem to be any moral or teaching. Toward the conclusion it seems like the 'bad' guy won, by neutralizing the two 'good' guys, but then the 'neutral-bad' guy kills him and that's it. It's unexpected. That's why, even though it's unrealistic, this ending was, at the same time, very realistic.

Politics, politics and politics... :
That was another thing for me. Granting I can’t really complain, as the movie was indeed about politics and the relationship between North and South Korea, seeing how the two dealt with the serial killer. Although, if you’re not Korean, or don’t know a whole lot about the matter, then you’ll probably be as confused as me throughout the whole film. That, and the fuc*ton of sides inside the story. I was really lost halfway through, because there were too many sides; the Intelligence, the police, the Americans, the North police... I didn’t even remember my name at one point.
On a different note, because of this many sides, there wasn’t a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ one. For, ultimately, all sides became ‘bad’, by battling with the serial killer. I believe this was a very interesting reflection, of what is right or wrong, what is black or white, or is everything grey? As Nietzsche said: “Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you”. By trying to use or fighting against a monster -Gwang Il here- everyone, by coming in contact with it, ultimately becomes one themselves.

The art:
The cinematography and photography were more than breathtaking. They were treated with a lot of detail and care, some scenes were so meaningful and beautiful that you could hear them breathe. The attention for colors too made everything worthwhile in the end. It’s so wonderful to watch when composition and color rules are followed to give each scene the right vibe and taste. This is what, most of the time, separates ‘okay’ movies from artistic masterpieces. The gore scenes were honestly well executed, so much that it gave me goosebumps. I particularly liked one of the first scenes, where they kill the young girl. It was disgusting and revolting in its wholesomeness, but at the same time it was composed perfectly. With the plastic sheets covering the wooden, classically beautiful, interior. Photos of brutality are scattered around the unfortunate girl, the air polluted by cigarette smoke and alcohol. We see paintings and a chandeliers, draped red curtains; in contrast with the three naked boys and Gwang Il that, with his plastic tunic, almost blends with the scene on the table. The beautiful and calm of the house, disrupted by the artificial confined space at the right where something animalistic and brutal befell. The moment when Gwang Il cuts the girl's throat with a thread seems so real that, in shock, I had to check if my own throat was okay before continuing. Among all of this, the title of the movie appears.
Continuing on that thought, there were many scenes that were so perfectly executed they were bewitching. It never happened to me before, not being able to advert my eyes from the screen, sitting there with my mouth hanging wide open, because the scene was too powerful. The grandiosity of V.i.p.'s cinematography is remarkable to say the least.

To wrap it up, V.I.P. is a good thriller-action movie that you can enjoy, if you like the charismatic psychopath-killer character, or if you can endure the unending politic talks about everyone trying to get their hands on Gwang Il (can you blame them though?). The film has a very powerful and solid cinematography that skims perfection at times, so even though the characters are somewhat flat and soulless it is definitely a worthwhile experience.
My re-watch value is… there. I would definitely re-watch it, but not in some time, and even then, I’d probably only watch Gwang Il’s parts. After you’ve seen the story, there isn’t that much more to find out by watching multiple times.

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