Tazza: One Eyed Jack (2019) Review

“Tazza: One Eyed Jack” Theatrical Poster

Director: Kwon Oh-Kwang
Cast: Park Jung-Min, Ryoo Seung-Bum, Choi Yu-Hwa, Woo Hyeon, Yoon Je-Moon, Lee Kwang-Soo, Lim Ji-Yeon, Kwon Hae-Hyo, Choi Dong-Hoon, Kim Ye-Eun
Running Time: 139 min.

By Paul Bramhall

It’s probably a stretch to say that anyone was clamouring for a third entry into Korea’s Tazza series. The original entry, 2006’s Tazza: The High Rollers, marked director Choi Dong-hoon’s sophomore feature, and its colourful energy combined with performances from the likes of Cho Seung-woo and Kim Yun-seok made it an instant classic. In many ways it was representative of where Korean cinema was in the latter half of the mid-00’s. With the Korean Wave that kicked off the millennium marking the film industry as one to watch, by 2006 there was an assured confidence reflected in much of the country’s output.

A TV series followed in 2008, utilising some of the characters from the big screen version with different actors, but audiences would need to wait until 2014 for a sequel to hit the screens, which came in the form of Tazza: The Hidden Card. A standalone tale, the sequel was a disaster, beginning with the decision to cast K-pop group Big Bang’s T.O.P (who’s at least billed by his real name of Choi Seung-hyeon) as the lead. Proving that musical charisma on stage doesn’t always translate to acting presence onscreen, Seung-hyeon pouted his way through a cumbersome runtime, one which struggled to find the balance between being a breezy caper and a violent gangster flick. It seems more likely that the return of Kim Yun-seok’s iconic character from the original turning up for the last scene was a result of director Kang Hyeong-cheol calling in a favour, rather than a legitimate cameo.

So it came as a surprise when in 2019, it was announced we’d be getting a third big screen instalment of Tazza, this time titled Tazza: One Eyed Jack. I imagine my reaction to the announcement was reflective of many others, which was one of indifference, however there were a couple of names that were enough to pique my curiosity. First was the man who’d be sitting in the director’s chair, Kwon Oh-kwang, who had been on my radar since the release of his 2015 debut Collective Invention, a wry commentary on Korean society told through the framework of a man who finds himself tuning into a fish. You read that correctly. While far from perfect, Collective Invention marked Oh-kwang as a director to keep an eye on, and like Tazza: The High Rollers marked the sophomore feature for Choi Dong-hoon, so Tazza: One Eyed Jack marks the sophomore feature for Oh-kwang.

The other name that grabbed my attention was that of the title character, One Eyed Jack, who would be played by Ryoo Seung-beom. A name synonymous with many of the classics to come of out of the Korean Wave (his small but meaningful role in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance has always been a personal favorite), to featuring in almost all of his brother Ryoo Seung-wan’s movies (the restaurant fight in Arahan is still a classic of Korean action cinema), Seung-beom is instantly recognizable. Since returning to Korea after a sojourn to Paris, during which he spent a couple of years modelling, Seung-beom has mostly stuck to working with the controversial auteur Kim Ki-duk. Taking roles in both 2016’s The Net and 2017’s Human, Space, Time and Human, his role as One Eyed Jack will be the first time for him to feature in a mainstream production since 2015’s poorly received Intimate Enemies.

Tazza: One Eyed Jack is notable for being the first entry for the screen that hasn’t been adapted from the original comic, which was published in 2000. Introducing a completely new set of characters also thanks to Oh-kwang, who writes as well as directs, Tazza: One Eyed Jack comes with the freedom (and the risk) of creating a story that feels thematically connected to its origins, while also establishing its own direction. Not an easy task when considering just how off-course Tazza: The Hidden Card set the series, which if nothing else succeeded in highlighting how tricky it can be to balance a narrative that’s equally about card games as it is gangsters.

Despite the title, One Eyed Jack actually isn’t the main character, although he is a pivotal one. Leading man honours go to Park Jung-min, who takes on the role that’s an essential part to any Tazza tale – the young card sharp who thinks he knows it all, only to lose everything, and be taken under the wing of a mysterious master, where he’ll learn the skills that’ll allow him to take on a ruthless enemy. In this case, the master is the One Eyed Jack the title alludes to. Jung-min makes for an effective lead, having last been seen in Svaha: The Sixth Finger. The fact that he doesn’t fall into the pretty boy category that the sequel decided to opt for, neither with his looks nor his acting, being a big advantage. Instead, Sung-min exudes a kind of world weary charm, one which often emanates from behind a layer of cigarette smoke.

The plot for One Eyed Jack sees Jung-min’s encounter with a big time gambler, played by Yoon Je-moon (Missing You) leave him stripped of most of his winnings, which leads to a chance meeting with Ryoo Seung-beom. Offered an opportunity to win big, Jung-min becomes part of a team Seung-beom is putting together to swindle an elderly businessman (Woo Hyun, Exit) out of the money he’s going to make from a property deal. Joined by fellow swindlers Lee Kwang-soo (Collective Invention), Lim Ji-yeon (Luck.Key), and Kwon Hae-hyo (The Day After), together they put the wheels in motion on a high risk plan.

Connecting everything together is a mysterious lady known as Madonna, played by Choi Yu-hwa (The Truth Beneath), who was seen accompanying the big time gambler who defeated Jung-min, and also shows up again with Woo Hyun. Exactly who she is, and what all of this has to do with the death of Jung-min’s father, are questions Oh-kwang banks on the audience wanting the answers to. To a degree, Oh-kwang’s own gamble is successful. His plot has a lot going on, and its focus is constantly switching, however its strength is that it stays coherent throughout. The cost of that coherency is some of the characterisation. Many of the cast are painted with broad brushstrokes, which is ok for actors like Ryoo Seung-beom who can get by on charisma alone, but in the case of Yu-hwa, what’s supposed to be a mysterious character ends up coming across as a plot device and nothing more.

For some then One Eyed Jack may well be perceived as an exercise in style over substance, and it’s a fair observation. However the style in question undoubtedly works. Korean productions have gotten increasingly glossy over the years, to the point that the grittiness which drew many of us to certain genres of Korean cinema in the first place has gotten lost under the sheen. One Eyed Jack feels like a movie which could also have come out in 2006, with Oh-kwang showing a keen understanding that high production values and grit can be exclusive of each other, and not everything needs to look so clean. The only other director I’ve seen who understands this in recent years is Kim Sung-soo, who delivered the goods with 2017’s Asura: City of Madness. There’s violence in One Eyed Jack, and some of it gets particularly bloody, but unlike in The Hidden Card here it doesn’t feel forced, and plays an integral part of the plot.

The conversation around how well Korea makes revenge flicks feels like one that belongs in the 00’s, and recently Korean cinema has arguably moved away from the genre it seemed so enamoured with at the start of the 21st century. As much of a clichéd statement as it eventually became, Tazza: One Eyed Jack proves once more that Korea knows how to put together a killer revenge flick, and doesn’t shy away from showing the messiness of it. A welcome return to the tone that was established in the original Tazza: The High Rollers, Oh-kwang has created a 3rd instalment that breathes new life into the series, as well as feeling like a homage to it. As if to offer up his own stamp of approval, the director of the original Tazza: The High Rollers Choi Dong-hoon shows up in the final scene, in a role that can’t help but raise a smile. If you’re willing to take a gamble, Tazza: One Eyed Jack could well turn out to be worth your time.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 8/10