The Killer (2022) Less John Woo, More John Wick (Review)

One of the disadvantages of mainly consuming western cinema is that when one encounters films from further afield, there is a temptation to find western equivalents. Then again, it is also fair to say that much of the cinematic output of China, Japan and Korea has been influenced by Hollywood, but Asian filmmakers add their own stylistic spins as well as cultural sensibilities.

With this context in mind, it is reductive and simplistic to call The Killer the Korean Taken, but Jae-Hoon Choi’s film does share much with Pierre Morel’s surprise hit. Like the Euro-thriller, The Killer features a one-man army taking on a criminal underworld to save a teenage girl. She may not be his daughter in this case, and there is a lot less mawkishness and racism, but the essential premise is the same. Furthermore, if Taken turned Liam Neeson into an action hero, lead actor Jang Hyuk deserves to be one several times over and mentioned in the same breath as John Wick.

Like John Wick (and unlike Taken), The Killer is a brilliantly cool and super sleek action thriller that moves through the criminal and corrupt institutions of Seoul like a ballistic knife through warm flesh. Indeed, there is ample flesh gouged by knives and bullets, as retired hitman Bang Ui Gang (Jang) agrees to his wife Hyeon Soo’s (Lee Chae-Young) request to take on the innocuous but tiresome task of babysitting Kim Yoon-Ji (Lee Seo-young), stepdaughter of his wife’s friend. No sooner has Yoon-Ji gone for a night out than, wouldn’t you know it, various bands of toughs to come after her. Street gangs, human traffickers, dirty cops, top henchmen, Russian mafia and more all come up against Ui Gang and, guess what, they regret it.

There is a modicum of mystery here, as the pursuit of Yoon-Ji is not random. The plot, however, is largely there as a framework to house a series of remarkable set pieces that take the groundwork of corridor sequences from Old Boy and Daredevil and elevate the premise to the next level. Long take sequences are so complex that they tend to demonstrate great care and attention to detail. Here, Choi’s care and flair create truly balletic sequences where bullets, knives, axes, fists, feet and elbows fly with precision and grace. These sequences, like all well-choreographed action set pieces, have the beauty of dance, and Jang is a marvel to behold as he delivers fantastic martial artistry and stunts with a seemingly effortless cool around his opponents, the camera flowing with an equivalent grace and elogance, while the (literally) bone-crunching and head-splitting blows and shots are likely to produce plenty of winces in the viewer.

These set pieces take place within exquisite production design that elegantly juxtapose the high and low echelons of Korean society. Ui Gang is overtly wealthy, living in a grand house, and even more opulent surroundings appear as well as more squalid locations. Neither, however, are free from the perverse tastes of the super-rich and the criminal gangs happy to profit from these tastes. Yet alongside the beautiful and brutal violence and human depravity, there are also sweet moments between Ui Gang and Yoon-Ji, the brattish and entitled teenager becoming more scared and therefore appreciative of her implacably cool protector, who will dispatch a group of thugs while sipping from a large coffee. Scenes between these two in a hospital room are genuinely charming, and there is even time to mention the financial constraints that always seem present in Korean cinema. Similarly, the handful of scenes between Ui Gang and Hyeon Soo display a warm love and affection, despite his profession which may even be a mystery to her. Ui Gang remains something of a blank slate to the viewer, allowing us to project whatever we like onto him. Did he retire from killing for the love of a good woman? Had he finally seen enough death that he stopped accepting money for it, as a tender and touching flashback sequence might suggest? Or did he simply retire once he had earned enough? For all his expertise with dealing death, there is only one moment when he seems somewhat manic and therefore unnerving, but again the viewer is provided no explanation as to why Ui Gang is this way. He just does what he does, and looks super cool while doing it.

These back story issues do not really matter because The Killer is so much fun. At a brisk 95 minutes, the film is a clear, straight shot piece of storytelling, drawing you into its world with a supple grace, well complemented by a propulsive soundtrack. Highly recommended.

Vincent’s Archive: the Killer (2022)