Before the movie even starts you can already predict the story of “The Drug King”, Netflix's latest South Korean crime movie. Another cliche story of how a man moves from having nothing to having all the money and power in the world? I beg to differ. When you have some of the most famous actors and actresses in the South Korean movie industry such as; Song Kang ho and Bae Doo na working with such a skillful director you get something more than just an “ordinary” rags to riches tale.
In my opinion the Drug King feels almost like a fresh breath of air to the dreary and drab overused story lines of Korean crime dramas.
Directed by the renowned Woo Min Ho, “The Drug King” tells the true life story of Lee Doo Sam (played by Song Kang Ho) a real life drug smuggler and “meth cook” who tried to build an empire in Busan’s drug underworld during the 1970s, but ultimately failed when he gets hooked to his own product.
If you are new to Korean Crime Dramas or Korean movies in general, you may not understand some of the jokes or actions that Lee Doo Sam says or does, but the way his life is presented in the film and how his empire falls should be no new territory for the American audience.
When the movie starts, Lee Doo Sam is nothing more than a petty smuggler who ironically lives in a church with his kids, his beloved wife (Kim So-jin), and his three sister. Fast forward to the middle of the movie and Lee Doo-sam is a major player in the drug world. He owns multiple houses, drives luxury cars, where's nothing but silk designer clothes, and has connections to some of Korea’s most powerful and influential men; such as the Attorney General, the chief of police, and some of the most powerful gang members in Korea. At the movie’s end, Lee is nothing more than a meth addicted monster who has lost everything; his family, his mistress, his powerful connections, and most importantly the fear that kept the loyalty of his men; and is only remembered for the crimes and lives he’s ruined. Yes, it is a cliche story line. Yes, it is just another crime movie about drugs and politics, but it's the way the story is put together and told that makes the movie worth it’s 2 hour and 18 minute run time.
Song Kang-Ho’s sometimes cheerful and comedic, sometimes dark and scary moments really compliments the movie’s overall tone pretty well. I mean the movie is set during the 70s in Korea and Woo Min-ho makes sure the audience knows it. He incorporates the iconic flashy collars, the tight leather/denim pants, the upbeat cheerful music, and the wacky over the top hairspray soaked hairstyles. The 70s in Korea was definitely a colorful era that was filled with wild and dangerous fun. So when Woo Min shows us that dangerous drug and violence induced underworld, the part of that fun and colorful era that your parents don’t tell you, it make for a seriously eye opening unpredictable experience.
Now with that said the Drug King isn’t all “Good-Good”. The film suffers from a weak story line, getting off track from the plot, and Woo fails in showing off his amazing supporting and main casts members. I’m sure many can agree when I say cast members such as Bae Doo-na and Joo Woo-jin were underutilized. Towards the middle of the movie Bae Doo-na’s character just disappears. I mean c’mon, the actress has 4 awards all dedicated to “Best actress” or “Best Leading Actress in film.”
If you don’t know who these people are, just think of it like this; you have a movie where all the cast members are A class actors/actresses, but the director constantly uses only 1 actor, to the point where that actor overshadows the other amazing cast members. Imagine the movie Goodfellas but 80% of the film is only Ray Liotta while the other 20% of the movie is Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci.
So all in all, I give Woo Min-ho’s “The Drug King” a Bad-Good rating. The film may have a cliche story line of rags to riches but it's told in a way that makes the movie unpredictable and at sometimes even jarring. With Song Kang-ho’s (the main protagonist) elaborate and always brilliant acting the audience can take a breath of fresh air from the dreary world of predictable story lines. But the film definitely did not live up to the hype. A movie where the leading actor is “the guy” who has over 13 best actor awards under his belt and the director is the same dude who directed “Inside Man” you would expect something much, much more. The Drug King is an enjoyable movie but it's not a film where you need to clear your entire schedule to watch.
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