A Man of Reason

Su-hyeok served ten years; he committed the crime for the organisation and never opened his mouth. When he comes out he wants to leave them. His old boss's son is in charge now and has no intention of letting him go. Meanwhile Su-hyeok learns he has a daughter; her mother is ill and the child has nobody. He tries to build an ordinary life. Two men sent by the organisation take the girl and the bargaining starts. Su-hyeok has no money and no connections; all he has is knowing his old job well. Jung Woo-sung directs; it is his first film as a director and he plays the lead as well. Kim Nam-gil, Kim Jun-han and Park You-na are in the cast. It is a South Korean production. The matter it treats is being unable to leave a past; the man wants to change and the people around him will not allow it. The film builds the relation between father and daughter without sentimentality and does not give the child much to say. Kim Nam-gil plays the villain broadly and for display; the tone does not quite sit with the rest. The action is short, close and unshowy. The narrative follows the familiar shape of Korean crime films and offers few surprises. The film does not aestheticise the violence and does not prolong the scenes. The narrative gives too much room to secondary characters and the main line is lost at times. The ending gives the reckoning without any feeling of victory. Its limit is originality; the setup is familiar, the tone uneven, and the inexperience of a first film shows. Who it is for: viewers who like Korean crime films and action drama. Who it is not for: it is familiar, uneven in tone, and the ending harsh.