This Friday, Lionsgate Enterainment is unleashing Rambo V: Last Blood, the follow up to 2008’s 4th Rambo movie, starring Sylvester Stallone as the ultimate killing machine.
The film is directed by Adrian Grunberg, the filmmaker best-known for directing the 2012 Mel Gibson actioner Get the Gringo – and written by both Matt Cirulnick (Paid in Full) and Stallone (Rambo 4).
This time around, John Rambo (Stallone) takes on the Mexican drug cartels (headed by Sergio Peris-Mencheta) after they kidnap his friend’s daughter, Gabrielle (Yvette Monreal).
Back in January 2016, it was reported (via Variety) that Stallone would be retiring from playing Rambo. “It’s like fighters that go back for one last round and get clobbered. Leave it to someone else,” said Stallone. “There’s nothing left. When they asked me to do another Rambo, I said, ‘If I can’t do better than I did last time, and I can’t, then why’?”, he added. Prior to his statement, Stallone had numerous ideas for a Rambo V. One of them pitted Rambo against experimental Universal Soldier-like enemies.
In 2013, producer Avi Lerner conspired to turn Rambo into a TV series with Stallone reprising his role as John Rambo for television, an idea that ultimately fizzled. Then in 2015, word from Deadline came that Fox locked in a deal for Rambo: New Blood, which would explore the complex relationship between Rambo (not played by Stallone) and his son, J.R., an ex-Navy SEAL. On October 2016, an update came from THR that Rambo: New Blood was still in motion – not as a TV series – but as a movie to be helmed by Ariel Vromen (Criminal).
In the end, Stallone reverted back to bringing iconic character back to the big screen for one more adventure.
Catch Rambo V: Last Blood on September 20th, 2019.
Filmmaker Stephen Chow and co-director Tian Yusheng (Ex-Files 2) have been busy working on the sequel to his 2016 hit The Mermaid, which became the all-time highest grossing film at the Chinese box office.
For the sequel, Lin Yun (Genghis Khan) returns as a mermaid called Shan Shan. She is joined by Allen Ai (Stop) and Sun Zhen Ni (Cupid’s Apprentice). According to AFS, Deng Chao and Kris Wu are not returning.
Originally, The Mermaid 2 was scheduled for release during the Chinese New Year holiday in 2020, but considering it’s still in production, we’ll have to wait and see.
We will keep you posted as soon as we hear more about the much-anticipated film!
Over the years, many casino-themed films have made an impression on audiences all over the world. As entertaining (and rewarding) the act of gambling may be in real life, scenes of gambling in movies are equally as entertaining on the big screen.
This year, India is giving the world a glimpse of The Great Indian Casino, a Hindi-language thriller from writer/director Rupesh Paul (Kamasutra 3D, Saint Dracula 3D) that stars Asif Basra (Outsourced), Pankaj Berry (Mere Gunaah), Ravi Jhanghu (Karim Mohammed) and Ameesha Patel (Shortcut Romeo).
Although the plot and setting of the The Great Indian Casino comes off dark, India is actually known for having some of the most legitimate and best online casinos, which shows when it comes to the presentation of their Slots, Table Games and Video Poker. One of the most popular casinos in India right now, is leovegas. It might remind many of the casino movies with it’s theme and structure. Even though it is considered as one of the best casinos, it is still recommended to check the leovegas review and see what their benefits are and what we should know before accessing it. Now, let’s start analyzing the movie.
Here’s what you can expect from The Great Indian Casino’s, via the film’s official plot below:
Karma works in mysterious ways. This is a story of 4 childhood friends, now the owners of a big illegal establishment called The Great Indian Casino formed using dark and violent ways; They watch its downfall right in front of their eyes despite of managing all these years with their clever strategies and escaping every time. All it takes is one man with the right intention and may be some help from his interesting partner. This is a game of survival, success, luck and love.
With a plot like that, The Great Indian Casino might have a chance to join the ranks of some of the most entertaining casino-centric films the world has to offer:
Hollywood brought us Martin Scorsese’s Casino (1995), Rounders (1998) and the Oceans Eleven (2001) series from Steven Soderbergh, as well as the recent, all-female version titled Ocean’s 8 (2018).
From Hong Kong came the God of Gamblers (1989) series, Casino Raiders (1989) and more recently, the From Vegas to Macau (2014) series; and South Korea introduced us to the Tazza: The Hidden Card (2014) films.
Of course, there are those gambling-themed films that audiences forgot about, such as 2008’s 21, which suffered from race controversy over the decision to make the majority of the characters white Americans, even though the main players in the book Bringing Down the House, upon which the film 21 is based, were mainly Asian-Americans (but that’s another story). And do we even need to mention 2014’s The Gambler, starring Mark Wahlberg, which was a remake of the superior 1974 film that starred James Caan and Paul Sorvino. Dare we bring up Kenny Rogers: The Gambler (1978), but we do admit, we like the song he recorded for the film.
Personally, our favorite is the cult classic 1997 film Swingers. Even though the act of gambling plays a small part in the film, it’s truly a memorably sequence. As Trent (played by Vince Vaughn) says: “I’m telling you baby, you always double down on 11!”
Without further ado, don’t miss the Trailer to The Great Indian Casino down below:
Hong Kong star Shu Qi (The Assassin, The Adventurers) and Lu Han (The Great Wall) are leading Shanghai Fortress, a sci-fi disaster film from director Teng Huatao (The Matrimony), which his currently streaming on Netflix.
Set in the future, the city of Shanghai China battles to defend itself against an ongoing attack by an alien force that has attacked that has laid siege to numerous cities around the globe in it’s quest to harvest a hidden energy only found on earth.
Shanghai Fortress is said to have a team of Hollywood heavies to help produce the film’s high-standard visual effects, so expect this one to complete with the best of the blockbusters.
Director: Chung Ji-young Cast: Ahn Sung-ki, Lee Geung-young, Shim Hye-jin, Ahn Do-Hun, Dok Ko Yeong Jae, Heo Jun-Ho Running Time: 124 min.
By Paul Bramhall
When you think of Korean war movies, chances are the titles that spring to mind are ones that take place in the (no irony intended) Korean War. From the likes of 2004’s Taegukgi, through to 2011’s The Front Line, the war which ended with an amnesty splitting the Korean peninsula in two understandably provides fertile ground for storytelling. An element of Korean history which its film industry rarely chooses to focus on though, is South Korea’s participation in the Vietnam War, a decade after the ceasefire was achieved in Korea. The scarcity of productions which cover this era of Korea’s military makes the ones that do exist all the more interesting, from the 1990 drama A Saigon Too Far, to the 2004 horror R-Point, the backdrop of Vietnam provides a unique aesthetic that allows for some equally unique storytelling.
It could be argued the industries lack of enthusiasm to use the Vietnam War as a backdrop, is most likely due to the countries own feelings towards its involvement in the conflict. South Korea was the 2nd largest foreign military presence in Vietnam after the U.S. Accepting an invite from the U.S. forces to join in return for economic aid, South Korea’s role in the war would play a critical part in boosting its economy, and elevating its status to a developed country at an alarmingly fast rate. However there was a dark side to their participation, with the U.S.’s financial incentives linked directly to participation in combat, which essentially meant the U.S. was recruiting Korean civilians as an army of mercenaries. This approach resulted in Korean units reportedly committing some of the worst atrocities in Vietnam, however in subsequent years both countries have expressed a desire to not dwell on the past.
One director who’s never been afraid to hold up a mirror to the uglier side of Korean history though, is Chung Ji-young, and in the 1992 production White Badge, that’s what he did with the Vietnam War. Ji-young has been active in the film industry since the early 80’s, however it was once Korea escaped from the military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan, that he began to develop a talent for tackling his countries own complicated internal conflicts. His 1990 movie North Korean Partisan in South Korea told the story of the Korean War from the perspective of a North Korean, pairing him up with lead actor Ahn Sung-ki for the first time, and they’d reunite 2 years later for White Badge. As an interesting side note, the pair would reunite for a third time in 2011 for Unbowed, which was Ji-young’s first movie after a 13 year hiatus. His return was deservedly awarded with the Best Director at the 2012 Blue Dragon Film Awards.
In White Badge he adapts the novel of the same name by Ahn Jung-hyo (no relation to Ahn Sung-ki), which was published in 1983. The idea of making a movie from the source material actually came from Sung-ki, who after enjoying working with Ji-young on North Korean Partisan in South Korea, proposed the idea to the director for his next production. The plot opens in 1979 against the backdrop of Park Jung-hee being assassinated, with Sung-ki playing a novelist who’s seen better days. With the newspaper his editor friend runs hesitant to cover the political turmoil in too much detail, for fear of inciting the wrath of the military, the editor suggests that Sung-ki writes a series covering his time in Vietnam. Initially reluctant, but also aware that he needs a salary, he agrees to the proposal, forcing himself to dig up old memories he’d rather keep forgotten.
The publication of the series inadvertently draws the attention of one of Sung-ki’s former platoon members, played by Lee Kyung-young (Steel Rain), and the pair become reconnected after losing touch since returning to Korea. However it becomes clear that the war has affected the pair in greatly different ways. Whereas Sung-ki’s marriage has fallen apart, and he’s become what can best be described as a functioning alcoholic, the psychological impacts of war are very much visible in Kyung-young, whose jumpy demeanour has him constantly on edge. The story of Sung-ki and Kyung-young reconnecting runs in parallel to flashback scenes that take place in Vietnam, where they served together in the same unit, as we follow them from their beginnings digging trenches and complaining of how bored they are, to the hellish reality of what it means to kill.
Ji-young balances both the present day narrative and the Vietnam flashbacks with a deft hand, with the events of the past slowly revealing the layers of how our protagonists ended up as they are in the present. The psychological burden of the Vietnam War is one that’s been explored plenty of times in war movies through the years. From John Rambo in First Blood, to the trio of Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter (of which the poster features in White Badge), however it’s refreshing to see the perspective switched to that of Korea. Whereas the U.S. forces believed they were there to help, many South Koreans volunteered out of a feeling that they were indebted to the U.S. for their assistance in the Korean War, whereas others were incentivised through the monetary awards offered for killing Viet Cong. It’s the latter that White Badge zooms in on during certain scenes, making for sometimes uncomfortable viewing.
The narrative doesn’t shy away from civilian killings, and during the initial screenings of White Badge there were reports of Vietnam veterans walking out. The realistic approach is an admirable one, and at no point do any of the soldiers become villainised for the audience, but rather feel like people who’ve been pushed to the limit of what they can handle. The rest of the platoon is played by various familiar faces that would continue acting into the era of the Korean Wave, such as Heo Joon-ho (Volcano High) and Hong Suk-yun (Crying Fist), many playing against type when compared to the roles they’d eventually become known for. While the performances can be a little broad early on (in one scene the commander presents a photo of his sister, with the offer that she’ll be a pen-pal to one of them, which leads to him ordering the candidates to strip so he can inspect their crown jewels), the relationship between them still resonates.
Credit has to be given for the way Ji-young effectively incorporates a technique which I usually furrow my brow at, that of the flashback within the flashback. During some of the scenes set in Vietnam, Sung-ki’s memories of the American soldiers he witnessed during the Korean War, are juxtaposed against the way he finds his own platoon behaving in the present day. While used sparingly, these scenes contain some of White Badge’s most powerful imagery. In one scene the memory of watching American soldiers aggressively shoo away Korean kids scavenging for food around their army base, is played against a scene of the Korean soldiers shoving away Vietnamese kids, who’ve come to protest after their cattle were mistakenly killed during the night. While the comparison may lack subtlety, and the point of the futility of war an obvious one, the scenes still hits home thanks to the honesty with which they’re portrayed.
While the battle scenes may not be able to match the technical bombast of more recent efforts, the frantic camerawork and palpable sense of panic combine to add a distinct ‘in the moment’ feel to the skirmishes, which often unfold without warning. Unlike many war movies, here every bullet and grenade feels like it has consequences behind it, and as a viewer you get the strong impression Ji-young wanted to emphasise that there are no heroics in war, only desperate survival. It struck me more than once while watching White Badge, that it felt like the anti-thesis to John Woo’s Bullet in the Head, which had been released a couple of years prior.
For fans of both war movies and Korean cinema, White Badge remains an underseen gem, and is worth seeking out. Made at a time when South Korea itself was enjoying its initial years of finally being a real democracy, it’s a production which finds a director reflecting on his countries role in the Vietnam War, as well as how it got to where it currently was at the time. While in recent years movies like Ode to My Father have taken a romanticized look at the same events, Ji-young’s unflinching approach maybe more confronting, but it’s also more rewarding for the viewer. At the end of the day, that’s what movies are about.
Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 8/10
Enjoy a clip from the film below (beware of spoilers):
Terrorists (headed by John Travolta, Face/Off) steal nuclear warheads from the US military and it’s up to a pilot (Christian Slater, El Gringo) and a park ranger (Samantha Mathis) to save the day.
Featuring a great soundtrack by Hans Zimmer (later ripped off for Patrick Yau’s The Longest Nite), Broken Arrow isn’t exactly John Woo’s finest moment, but it’s one heck of a guilty pleasure.
After too many movies that shows the glitz and glamour of the “casino” life, and by the end of it all, you kept finding yourself googling “Top 10 casino strategies in the world” – out of curiosity, and perhaps in the hopes of learning a thing or two. But is the thrill of gambling really about winning? Everybody knows that people play for the rush and that the odds are predetermined to favor the house. The ratio of bettors quite frankly overthrows winners, yet don’t we all just keep playing?
There was an article a couple of years ago about a group of students in the 1990s, the “MIT Blackjack Team”. Apparently, these “kids” formulated a model that used simple math, giving a player an edge over the blackjack dealer. The article was so compelling and got me thinking how things could be just as simple as counting sheep in your head. It made me wonder if this “system” would still work anywhere these days, say, at online casino new zealand guide there are a lot of tips for leaning this strategies.
So anyway, it goes without saying that I was excited to see “21” – a movie “inspired by” the real-life story of the same M.I.T. students who made millions in Las Vegas. “21,” pretty much tells how to follow all the “rules” and end up losing anyway. They clearly tried to fit such a detailed story into a movie template and ended up killing the excitement. It turned out to be purely generic which was such a disappointment.
So, here was how it went:
Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) M.I.T. undergrad is a smart guy from Boston. He badly needs a $300,000 scholarship to get into Harvard. His nerdiness did not escape Professor Rosa’s (Kevin Spacey) penchant for math geniuses and ends up inviting him to join a secret group of card-counters who plans on flying to Vegas on weekends to make a forture. Ben resists in the beginning, even after a beautiful blond girl (Kate Bosworth) attempts to woo him. Then again, he really needs the money, so he decides to give it a try — but only until he gathers enough for his tuition.
This was followed by a badly sequenced montage that had me reaching for a nonexistent rewind button just to catch on.
So they all go to Vegas, wins, more montage, until their antics catches the eye of a casino security guy named Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) who’s about to lose his business to some new biometric facerecognition software. What you need to remember here, is that if casinos caught you counting cards, you just might get a good beating down the basement. But don’t worry, you’ll be released afterwards!
Ben gets sucked in to this “too good to be true” life as he limply narrated in voiceover. He finds himself by blondie’s door with a sappy realization that he’s lost everything, but would like one last chance at getting back on the saddle. He makes up with blondie and the professor. They gather the team and reunites for one last score. Turns out, Williams has been hunting Rosa down for years and finally saw a chance at cornering him with the help of Ben. The End.
Overall, the movie could have been done better and written with a better plot. The casting was decent; even the wigs that Bosworth had to wear had more appeal than the story as a whole.
On November 26th, 2019, Kino Lorber will be releasing the Blu-ray & DVD for Bi Gan’s Long Day’s Journey into Night (read our review), a noirish stunner about a lost soul (Jue Huang, The Final Master) on a quest to find a missing woman from his past (Wei Tang, Office, Wuxia).
Following leads across Guizhou province, the man crosses paths with a series of colorful characters, among them a prickly hairdresser played by Taiwanese superstar Sylvia Chang (Slaughter in San Francisco). When the search leads him to a dingy movie theater, the film launches into an hour-long, gravity-defying 3D sequence shot that plunges its protagonist—and us—into a dreamlike, labyrinthine cityscape.
The Teaser Trailer Ambush, the anticipated directorial debut from John Salvitti (In the Line of Duty 4) has finally arrived in all its gritty glory. And when we say gritty, we mean it. We’re talkin’ Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer gritty.
Ambush marks Salvitti’s entry into writing, directing and editing his original brand material. “It’s sort of in the vein of Fight Club with the PTSD/split personality. The story centers on issues we see everyday in today’s media. A constant barrage of violence, shootings, bullying and political tensions – issues that are so burdensome, hey’re driving some to engage in violence. That’s Ambush,” says Salvitti.
Salvitti is a martial artist known for his roles in Hong Kong films like Crystal Hunt, Cheetah on Fire, In the Line of Duty 4 and Flash Point – as well his action choreography work in Special ID, Kung Fu Killer and Pound of Flesh. Despite for being known for his fight choreography (and his close association with Donnie Yen and Yuen Woo-ping), Salvitti says that Ambush will deliver more on “phycological action and gun violence” than on martial arts.
Here’s what you can expect from the plot of Ambush: Kal is a visitor to Los Angeles suffering with PTSD and on the verge of carrying out a lone wolf attack. But first, he must rescue his girlfriend from her assailants. Question is: Who lives, who dies and who was merely a fragment of one’s imagination?
The film stars New York theatrical actor Maxx Black in the lead role, with Vietnamese theatrical actress Sai thien Le, and from Milan Italy Model, Sabrina Bertaccini.
Ambush is currently in final stages of post-production.
Updates: Watch the film’s latest Teaser Trailer below. Also, be sure and check out a New Interview with Salvitti as conducted by Mike Leeder and M.A.A.C.
A new documentary that “explores relationships between actors and stunt performers” is coming from Rootbeer Films. Lenny Shapiro, CEO/President of Rootbeer Films, said, “Having produced many action films, it is my great pleasure to showcase the real action stars… the stunt people” (via Variety).
Joe Mantegna (Godfather 3) narrates while stars such as Keanu Reeves (John Wick), Halle Berry (John Wick 3) and Mark Wahlberg are interviewed.
Additional featured interviewees include Chad Stahelski (John Wick), Jon Bernthal, Shemar Moore, Joseph Gatt, Mark Dacascos (Ultimate Justice) and Helen Mirren.
The same team is also working on Hollywood’s Hard Hitters, a female version of 2nd Unit: Invisible Action Stars with Zoe Saldana (Columbiana) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Deathproof).
A Trailer and release date is expected soon, so stay tuned!
On October 8th, 2019, Well Go USA will be releasing the Blu-ray for Kung Fu Monster (aka When Robbers Meet the Monster), a fantasy wuxia directed by Andrew Lau (Legend of the Fist) and produced by Derek Yee (Sword Master).
In Kung Fu Monster, several heroes of Greenwood are preparing to rob the government of the people’s destiny. They have decided on an action plan and their respective division of labor. However, things get complicated when a monster falls into the mix.
Bruce Willis (Die Hard), Scott Adkins (Avengement, Triple Threat) and Til Schweiger (Inglourious Basterds) are teaming up for an upcoming thriller titled Run of the Hitman.
The film will be directed by Stephen C. Sepher (Dead on Arrival), who is perhaps best known for penning Robert De Niro’s 2015 actioner Heist.
Run of the Hitman (aka Grey Justice) revolves around a hitman who discovers his past has been wiped from his memory by a covert government agency.
The film is currently in pre-production phase, but we’ll keep you in the loop as we learn more. For now, we leave with the Trailer for Isaac Florentine’s Close Range.
On November 26th, 2019, MVD will release the DVD for Shinpei Hayashiya’s 2005 kaiju flick Reigo: King of the Sea Monsters (aka Reigo: The Deep-Sea Monster vs. the Battleship Yamato).
The battleship Yamato, the largest and strongest of its time, is on patrol when a lookout spots a massive shape half-submerged in the distance. Believing it to be an enemy submarine, they fire and score a direct hit. But they are shocked when the object emits a strange cry as it sinks beneath the waves. Soon after, something much bigger arrives, the massive kaiju Reigo!
Reigo: King of the Sea Monsters stars Taiyo Sugiura, Mai Nanami, Yukijiro Hotaru, Susumu Kurobe, Yoji Tanaka, Yumika Hayashi and Mickey Curtis.
In order to foil an extortion plot, an FBI agent (John Travolta) undergoes a facial transplant surgery and assumes the identity and physical appearance of a terrorist (Nicolas Cage), but the plan turns from bad to worse when the same terrorist impersonates the FBI agent.
Along with 1993’s Hard Target, Face/Off is considered one of Woo’s finest Hollywood productions.
Director: Lee Chang-Dong Cast: Yoo Ah-In, Steven Yeun, Jun Jong-Seo, Kim Soo-Kyung, Choi Seung-Ho, Moon Sung-Geun, Min Bok-Gi, Ban Hye-Ra, Lee Bong-Ryun, Lee Young-Suk Running Time: 148 min.
By Paul Bramhall
It’s been 8 years since Lee Chang-dong last sat in the director’s chair, having helmed 2009’s critically acclaimed Poetry, leaving it just long enough for the rest of us to worry if we’d ever see a Lee Chang-dong movie again. With the benefit of hindsight, we now know he was one of the many names on impeached former president Park Geun-hye’s entertainment and media blacklist, which refused state funding to anyone who was seen as a critic of her policies (notably Park Chan-wook was also named). Thankfully in 2018 Chang-dong came out of his hiatus, and returned to the big screen with Burning, an adaptation of a Haruki Murakami short story titled Barn Burning.
The story appeared in Murakami’s shorty story omnibus The Elephant Vanishes, and marks the third time for one of its tales to be transferred to the screen. In 1982 Naoto Yamakawa directed Attack on the Bakery, from the short story of the same name, and a year later he’d also adapt On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl. Both where (perhaps fittingly) short films, so Burning is both unique from the perspective of it being a Korean director taking on the Japanese authors source material, and that it’s been expanded to encompass a 2 & ½ hour epic.
The story casts Yoo Ah-in (Veteran) as an aspiring writer, who takes on various menial jobs as a source of income. In the opening scene we’re introduced to him delivering stock to an outlet store, and by chance he meets a childhood friend who’s working as a promotional model outside the store. Played by newcomer Jeon Jong-seo, the pair agree to catch up over drinks and reminisce about their time growing up in the countryside. Jong-seo reveals she plans to travel to Africa, and how she wants to visit the tribes that live in the Kalahari Desert. She enthusiastically explains how the tribes have two expressions related to hunger – Little Hunger refers to those who are hungry to eat, and Great Hunger refers to those who have a hunger to understand the meaning of life. Before Ah-in knows what’s hit him, he and Jeong-seo are in bed together in her small unit, and he agrees to keep her mysteriously unseen cat fed while she’s travelling.
After Ah-in receives a call from Jeong-seo in Kenya to say she’s coming back to Korea, he agrees to pick her up from the airport, however is visibly taken aback to find she’s joined by a male acquaintance, played by Steven Yuen (Okja). Yuen explains they became close during a long delay in the airport, as they were “the only two Koreans”, but something seems off about him. He’s hesitant to divulge what he does for a living, but is clearly rich enough that he drives a Porsche, lives in the affluent Seoul suburb of Gangnam, and his spacious apartment is adorned with expensive looking artwork. Ah-in makes a comment comparing him to the Great Gatsby, but Yuen’s silky smooth performance feels more pointed towards Patrick Bateman.
The relationship between the trio is essentially the crux of Burning, and each one of their perceptions of the other. More so than any of his previous movies, Chang-dong’s latest could well be described as baffling for the unacquainted viewer. Scenes which feel meandering and uneventful at the time, become rife with questions in retrospect, and seemingly inconsequential pieces of dialogue seek to be re-evaluated once mulled upon. Burning is the kind of movie which practically demands a 2nd viewing, and then a 3rd, because so much is unseen that it feels impossible to comprehend all of the nuances on the initial experience. While Chang-dong eschews a traditional narrative for his latest, the frequently uncomfortable levels of tension come from trying to figure out how much of what’s being implied is real, and how much is being imagined, as much from ourselves as from the perspective of the character’s we’re watching.
Yuen’s performance is a revelation. This marks the first time for him to take a lead role in a Korean production, after supporting parts in 2017’s Okja and 2015’s Like A French Film, and while he remains most well-known for his role in the U.S. series The Walking Dead, roles like this one show a previously unseen range. Despite his fluent Korean, there’s something distinctly alien about his presence, from small details such as his character not using a Korean name (he calls himself Ben), to strange asides about how he considers his meal preparation as a form of making offerings to himself. All signs point to him being a sociopath, but Chang-dong’s direction insists on keeping the audience at arms-length. It’s a tactic which results in proceedings feeling frustratingly opaque, but also impossible to turn away from, often both at the same time.
Newcomer Jeon Jong-seo likewise delivers a top tier performance in her debut, and at the time of writing has already been tapped as the lead for The Bad Batch director Ana Lily Amirpour’s next feature, titled Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon. She takes center stage during Burning’s pivotal scene, which sees the trio converging in the yard of Ah-in’s countryside home, close to the border of North Korea. They share a joint, and in a surreal but beautifully filmed sequence she dances topless around the garden, imitating the Great Hunger dance she spoke of earlier. The fire the Kalahari Bushmen danced around as the sun set on the horizon is now replaced with the mountains of North Korea, the propaganda from the loud speakers a constant presence in the background, and for a moment Ah-in and Yuen sit there transfixed.
The concept of fire carries significance for each of the three main characters, with the joint lowering Ah-in’s defences enough that he reveals a traumatic memory from his past, while Yuen discloses his “hobby” of burning down derelict greenhouses. After the scene finishes Burning plunges down the rabbit hole, however does so with such subtlety that it’s easy not to notice. Yuen and Jong-seo drive off together back to Seoul, but Jong-seo simply disappears and becomes uncontactable. Yuen confesses to Ah-in that he only visited to scout for empty greenhouses, and assures him to keep an eye out for one close-by being burnt down in the next few days, but it never happens. Then of course there’s the cat that was never actually seen, despite the food Ah-in left out for it being eaten, and its droppings being left in the litter tray.
Just like the difference between the Little Hunger and the Great Hunger, there’s an impression that Chang-dong is applying the same principle to the audience. Are we caught up in trying to solve all of the little mysteries that are weaved into the narrative, or are we looking at the bigger picture as to what exactly they all mean? Much like Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, Chang-dong’s latest has its lens pointed at the class divides that exist in Korea, and the injustices, both perceived and imagined, that stem from them. The anger and rage that are born out of these divides is evident in both, however in Burning that seething energy always feels like its hovering just beyond the borders of the screen. Ah-in feels that something is amiss with Yuen’s interest in both him and Jong-seo, but he can’t articulate it, and perhaps none of us can.
By the time the end credits roll, the sense of danger that’s remained so elusive to pinpoint has neither dissipated nor been resolved, but rather manifested itself as a feeling that prompts bigger questions, which is perhaps the whole point all along. At one point Ah-in states that the world is a mystery to him, and uses this to offload the blame for the fact he hasn’t been able to write anything. The mysteries of the world mean it’s often not that simple to have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and that lack of narrative structure is also applied by Chang-dong with the way the narrative unfolds.
Burning has already earned the accolade of being the highest rated movie in the history of Screen International’s Cannes jury grid, and is also the first Korean production to make the final shortlist for the Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film category, recognition which is well deserved. When Ah-in and Jong-seo first meet she perfectly pantomime’s peeling and eating a tangerine, telling him that if he ever wants something, he can create it by doing the same. Just like the tangerine, Burning feels like its equal parts character drama, mystery thriller, and misguided romance, but it could just as easily be none of those. A perplexing epic that poses a lot of questions, and expects the audience to find its own answers, Burning is a triumph.
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