| "SOMETIMES A KILLER IS CLOSE TO HOME" |
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Bystanders
DVD/APPROX. 103 MINS/2005/SOUTH KOREA M15+
DVD/APPROX. 103 MINS/2005/SOUTH KOREA M15+
6
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This is a film I would have liked to have liked, but after the opening fight scene found to be a bit of a snooze-fest. High production values power
this buddy-flick, but the story is turgid beyond belief.
The whole idea is that there is a rash of what appear to be suicides occurring and Inspector Ja-Young (Kim Yun-Jin from TV’s totally craptacular
Lost) – aunt to an ungrateful nephew – is on the case, with her irritating partner. Turns out that the whole thing is the work of a serial killer, which
should be the cue for excitement, but isn’t.
Seriously, this is the least tense, least engaging thriller I’ve seen since the whole slew of Fatal Attraction wannabes which started up in the late
80s/early 90s. There is nothing here to watch, although it’s reasonably well acted and shot. The characters simply aren’t engaging and the rather
sad attempts at comedy (which become increasingly intrusive) weren’t helping, either. But there is a car chase albeit a brief one, and that does
count for something.
So we’re meant to care about bullying in high schools; this is the cue for murder. Believable, but bullshit, all the same, in the way it’s treated. It all
gets presented to us too late in the story for any of the audience to give a shit.
And in terms of how many false endings can a movie have? Apparently an endless amount, and nope, the audience won’t get sick of it – yeah, right.
The whole story seems to be about the partners. And I could give a shit about either of them – neither is particularly likeable, and frankly, I was
getting sick of buddy films around the time 48 Hours and Lethal Weapon came out. Like I care about how they catch the killer. Who gives a shit?
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad film, it’s just not a particularly good one. I’m not too keen on cop films post 1970s (I thought that given the
current high quality of South Korean cinema, I might get something new here – no dice, I’m afraid), and besides docos and films of the quality of
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, not too keen on serial killer films either. So, this wasn’t winning too many brownie points from me.
There are some featurettes in the Extras as well as the theatrical trailer, and the cardinal sin of special features, a stills gallery. Seriously, does
anyone even look at these? We also have the inevitable Eastern Eye trailers for The Host, A Bittersweet Life, The Red Shoes and No Mercy For
The Rude – these are all better films, and far more deserving of a place in your collection.
this buddy-flick, but the story is turgid beyond belief.
The whole idea is that there is a rash of what appear to be suicides occurring and Inspector Ja-Young (Kim Yun-Jin from TV’s totally craptacular
Lost) – aunt to an ungrateful nephew – is on the case, with her irritating partner. Turns out that the whole thing is the work of a serial killer, which
should be the cue for excitement, but isn’t.
Seriously, this is the least tense, least engaging thriller I’ve seen since the whole slew of Fatal Attraction wannabes which started up in the late
80s/early 90s. There is nothing here to watch, although it’s reasonably well acted and shot. The characters simply aren’t engaging and the rather
sad attempts at comedy (which become increasingly intrusive) weren’t helping, either. But there is a car chase albeit a brief one, and that does
count for something.
So we’re meant to care about bullying in high schools; this is the cue for murder. Believable, but bullshit, all the same, in the way it’s treated. It all
gets presented to us too late in the story for any of the audience to give a shit.
And in terms of how many false endings can a movie have? Apparently an endless amount, and nope, the audience won’t get sick of it – yeah, right.
The whole story seems to be about the partners. And I could give a shit about either of them – neither is particularly likeable, and frankly, I was
getting sick of buddy films around the time 48 Hours and Lethal Weapon came out. Like I care about how they catch the killer. Who gives a shit?
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad film, it’s just not a particularly good one. I’m not too keen on cop films post 1970s (I thought that given the
current high quality of South Korean cinema, I might get something new here – no dice, I’m afraid), and besides docos and films of the quality of
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, not too keen on serial killer films either. So, this wasn’t winning too many brownie points from me.
There are some featurettes in the Extras as well as the theatrical trailer, and the cardinal sin of special features, a stills gallery. Seriously, does
anyone even look at these? We also have the inevitable Eastern Eye trailers for The Host, A Bittersweet Life, The Red Shoes and No Mercy For
The Rude – these are all better films, and far more deserving of a place in your collection.
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