“Public Enemy” Korean Theatrical Poster
Director: Kang Woo-Suk
Cast: Seol Kyung-Gu, Lee Sung-Jae, Kang Shin-Il, Kim Jeong-Hak, Do Yong-Gu, Ahn Nae-Sang
Running Time: 138 min.
By Equinox21
In this suspense movie a serial killer is pursued by a bitter, burnt-out, cynical detective. Unlike most suspense/mystery movies, however, the viewer already knows who the murderer is from the moment the crimes are committed, as it’s all shown on screen. But don’t worry, this doesn’t make the movie any less enjoyable.
Detective Kang has problems. He’s being investigated by internal affairs, he’s broke, and he breaks the rules, but like an angry dog, when he sinks his teeth into something you can’t make him let go. As is the case when he believes that he knows that the murderer of an elderly couple is their son Cho Kyo-hwan, a respected yuppie businessman. This movie mostly follows Kang’s investigation as he tries to figure out why the son would murder his parents, since he is convinced that the son is the culprit. Kang becomes less and less popular with his superiors the further into the investigation he digs. The problem is that he begins stalking and outright harassing Cho in his quest to find some evidence to prove his point. Along the way we learn of various elements of Kang’s corrupt and troubled past.
The murder scenes in Public Enemy are quite graphic, but they add to the feel of the movie. They are not easy to watch, but I feel that this is because the movie doesn’t attempt to sanitize murder, which is helpful. Murder is not pretty, and they make absolutely certain that this is understood through the graphic visuals used. What makes even more of an impact is Cho’s steely and eerily unemotional gaze as he’s committing his murders.
Overall, it’s not much of a mystery, since we already know who the murderer is. However, it’s still great to see Kang’s unorthodox methods in hunting down the evidence needed to prove Cho the killer. It’s very enjoyable, and even with the 138 minute running time the movie really flowed well. If you like cop vs. serial killer movies, check this one out.
Equinox21’s Rating: 8/10
