‘Master’ is a unique and enjoyable South Korean crime-action film with a strong cast and engaging story.
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In many ways, ‘Master’ is a typical crime-action film. It’s clear right from the start that the good guys are trying to pin down the bad guys for their crimes. Does it mean that this film is predictable? Not at all. When it comes to this type of film, it’s the journey that counts. Director Cho Ui-seok, who also co-wrote the screenplay, ensured that there is enough twists and turns for this 143-minute journey.
There is not that much action in this film, which makes it more realistic. It is ultimately a detective story, and the film shows that the bulk of the work often boils down to spending countless hours sifting through data or listening to surveillance bug. If you are looking for action, you will get your chase scenes, gunshots, and explosions, too. Just don’t expect too much of it.
The screenplay is lean. It has a very clear direction on the main plot and wastes little time on anything else. Every side mission the characters embark on has a very clear link to helping the police solve the case. There are plot twists and and numerous double-crosses to keep things engaging as well. The pacing of the film is almost the same throughout. It is a relatively fast pace, so it does not become boring. But watching it for 143 minutes does get a little tiring.
What I find most commendable is the all-around strong performance of the cast. Most of the time, we follow the perspective of Park Jang-goon (Kim Woo-bin), who manages to be an interesting audience surrogate. Kim pulls off a very likeable portrayal of the witty, cheerful, and unpredictable brain behind the fraud case on the path to redemption. Park Jang-goon pairs off well with Kim Jae-myung (Kang Dong-won), the head of the criminal investigation team who is very serious, intelligent, and single-minded in solving this fraud case. President Jin (Lee Byung-hun) is the face and the boss of the fraud case. Lee Byung-hun gives a very charismatic yet conniving performance for this role.
Although the film is quite male-lead, the actresses gave memorable performances as well. Rest assured that they are not relegated to damsels in distress or love interests. Uhm Ji-won plays police lieutenant Shin Gemma, who works together with Park and Kim in solving this case. Her act in her covert mission shows off her range. Another notable female character is Kim Eom-ma (Jin Kyung), who is the firm, decisive partner-in-crime to President Jin.
Another important factors which adds to the entertainment value of the film is humour. It is a long and serious film so bits of well-placed humour here and there help to lighten the tone. The humourous lines are mostly confined to Park’s scenes, as it is most consistent with his character. Kim Woo-bin is a good enough comedic actor to deliver the jokes.
As with all detective crime actions, there is a certain predictability when it comes to the ending. Nevertheless, I like how ‘Master’ looks and feels very different from similar Hollywood films within the same genre. South Korea might be more well-known for its dramas, but this film would be one of the examples to show that Korean filmmakers are able to produce good quality, entertaining, commercially successful films in all genres.
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