Gangnam Blues (2015) – Korean Movie Review

GANGNAM BLUES (강남 1970) -2015

Directed by: Yoo Ha (유하)

Starring: Lee Min-ho, Kim Rae-won, Jung Jin-young, Seolhyun, Kim Ji-su

The Film: Gangnam Blues (강남 1970) is a story about the criminals involved in the early development of what is now southern Seoul in the 1970’s. With the city’s population on the rise and the anxiety of a threatening North Korea, the city of Seoul decided to expand its territory to include the Gangnam (south of the Han river) area. Varying motivations have corrupt/greedy politicians aligning with gang factions to acquire as much land (predominantly farm land) as possible from the uneducated farming folk of the time and turn it into one of the most expensive real estate markets in the world.

Review

The newest film from director Yoo Ha (Marriage is a Crazy Thing) (A Dirty Carnival) (Spirit of Jeet Kune Do: Once Upon a Time in High School) brings intense 70’s gangster action and drama to tell the OG Gangnam style story of crime and corruption.

Two brothers, Jong Dae (Lee Min Ho) and Yong Gi (Kim Rae Won), unrelated by blood, find themselves going from rags to riches in their climb through the criminal underworld. Although they find themselves in rival gang factions, fate would have them unite and their loyalties are put to the extreme test.

The two leads are surrounded by a powerful cast that includes: Jung Jin Young, who plays Kang Gil Soo, Jong Dae’s adopted father and former gang boss; Yoo Seung Mok, playing a slimy politician outcast by his party and willing to go to extreme measures to win back favor; and Seol Hyun, who becomes Jong Dae’s adopted sister. The cast is actually too huge to mention everyone, but they all really nailed their roles in this epic crime drama.

Having a large cast made for a larger picture and helped to show the vast amounts of competing factions in the early land buying. However, sometimes it felt almost too big. There are several gang clans: YDP (Yeongdeungpo), MD (Mokdong) and Kang to name a few. This is one of those movies that has a title that appears under characters as they are introduced that tells us their gang member status or political position. Unfortunately, these weren’t subtitled in English. Although it made for some early confusion as to who was who, it didn’t take long for the roles to become clear.

Gangnam Blues is a gangster picture at its core. And when I say gangster, I’m referring to the suit-wearing and politically tied organized crime type. These guys were some of the most ruthless, hardcore thugs I’ve seen in a long time! If you have seen a Korean gangster film before, expect more of the same but turn up the violence and real-world politically implied ties up a few notches.

The larger fights between the rival gang factions had me on the edge of my seat. We’ve got bad asses in every direction wielding axes, knives, shovels, and bats. Wow! There are at least two sequences in this film that really upped the ante for the genre.

The real drama in the film for me came from the relationship between Jong Dae (Lee Min Ho) and his adopted former gang boss father, Gil Su (Jung Jin Young). The struggle that Jong Dae goes through as he wrestles between his desire to make something of himself through the only channel he knows he’s good at, and with the love and respect he has for his father, Gil Su, is pretty heartbreaking.

The strong performances, action sequences, and overall production value made this a rewarding film experience in the end. There were some oddly graphic sex scenes that came off as slightly unnecessary as to their purpose beyond establishing the film as being a firm 19+ rating. If you enjoy dramatic, ultra-violent gangster pictures with well choreographed large-scale battles, Gangnam Blues comes with a high recommendation! Bought! Check out the trailer and Limited Edition blu-ray unboxing below.

Trailer

Limited Edition Unboxing

Picture quality is superb! This is one of the best looking blu-rays I have ever seen. The actual film has an incredibly crisp and glossy look to it that really shines on blu-ray.

Film

• Theatrical cut (135 mins) & Uncut (141 mins) version available.
• Subtitles: English, Korean
• Audio: Korean DTS-HD MA 5.1
• Picture: 1080p High Definition 2:35:1

Special Features (not English subtitled)

• Audio commentary with director: Yoo Ha & actors: Lee Min-ho, Jeong Jin-young, and Seol Hyeon
• Script reading with cast and director – (6 mins)
• Behind-the-scenes (making-of) + cast/crew interviews – (16 mins)
• Action choreography (behind-the-scenes) – (17 mins)
• Recreating the 70’s (production design) – (10 mins)
• VIP Press Pass (film premier + actors speak) – (5 mins)
• Deleted/Alternate Scenes (10 scenes) – (11 mins)