[Korean Film News] The Show Must Go On [우아한 세계] (2007)

Like many Korean men, Kang In-gu (Song Kang-ho) is trying as best he can to balance career and family, to be a good husband and father, provide a decent home for his wife and children, and ensure that his kids get the best education money can buy. He pays a small fortune in order for his son to study abroad and he has to straighten things out occasionally when his daughter misbehaves at school. On top of that, he's experiencing a sort of mid-life crisis - his marriage is falling apart, doubts are creeping in as to whether he can juggle a stressful work life and his reponsiblities as a father. Then there are the incidental workplace hazards: a kidnapping and blackmail episode that went awry, fending off of knife-wielding rivals, the death threats... You see, just like millions of other Korean dads, Kang is finding it increasingly difficult to find time for both work and family, with one slight difference - he's a mid-level mob boss.

If you're like me, you're thinking, 'not another gangster flic!' After the disappointments that were Running Wild, A Dirty Carnival and too many others, do we really need another? Will the public never tire of them? Well, Song being one of the Korean film industry's most bankable stars, having appeared in The Host (13 million admissions), Memories of Murder (5 million admissions) and Joint Security Area (6 million admissions), the man seems to know how to pick 'em. And barring another blockbuster like 300, I think we're looking at the next big film after Tazza: The High Rollers and 200 Pound Beauty.

While Song Kang-ho is best known for his roles in Bong Joon-ho's two latest films, for me it was his performance as a beleaguered executive in Park Chan-wook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance that stood out above all the rest. Under Park's masterly direction (before his films became more extravagant and outlandish, when I stopped caring about what happened to the characters), Song, portraying a man whose life is unravelling, who has lost everything he held dear, displayed a mix of vulnerability and cold-bloodedness that I had never seen captured before on film. And provided that Han Jae-rim can steer clear of syrupy melodrama and retain what was so unique about his first film - the snappy dialogue, the superb lensmanship, an enlivening soundtrack, the quirky humor - this is one gangster film I'll actually look forward to seeing.

The Show Must Go On opens in local theatres on April 5th.

The Show Must Go On [우아한 세계]
Director : Han Jae-Rim [한재림]
Cast : Song Kang-Ho [송강호], Park Ji-Yeong [박지영], Oh Dal-Su [오달수], Kim So-Eun [김소은]

Posters, Photos, Production Stills, Trailers

[Source: The Korea Herald, The Korea Times]