Kick the Moon (2001) Movie Review

“Kick the Moon” was originally released back in 2001 and was directed by Kim Sang Jin, an eclectic director known for his cult hit “Attack the Gas Station”, as well as offbeat comedies such as “Ghost House” and “Mission Possible: Kidnapping Granny K”. The film is another in the very Korean gangster comedy subgenre, following two former friends who grow up to find themselves on very different sides of the law. As with his “Attack the Gas Station”, Kim focuses on a winning combination of buddy comedy and slapstick violence, and the film proved popular on its initial domestic release. It now makes a welcome appearance on region 2 DVD via Third Window Films, coming complete with a short featurette on the making of the film.

The film opens back in 1982 as the senior students of Gangsan High School take a field trip to another city. Their celebrations turn into a mass brawl after rival students from a local school crash the party, with Gangsan leader and all round popular guy Choi Ki Woong becoming a legendary figure for his bravery in the battle. At the same time, his nerdy friend Park Young Jun is branded a traitor for hiding from the action. Fast forward to the present day, and Choi (played by actor Lee Sung Jae, also in “Attack the Gas Station”, and who recently starred in “Daisy”) is now a teacher at the school. Park (Cha Seung Won, who won an award for his role, and who went on to star in the likes of “An Eye for an Eye” and “Small Town Rivals”) arrives back in town, a high ranking gang underboss who has been charged with taking over the scene from the local mob. The two friends seem happy to see each other, though their bond is sorely tested when Choi’s students start trying to join Park’s gang, and when they both manage to fall in love with the same woman, a feisty young restaurant owner called Min Ju Ran (the gorgeous Kim Hye Su, also in “Tazza: The High Rollers”).

Although the plot is pretty familiar stuff, echoing many other Korean gangster comedies, Kim does make an effort at role reversal and adds a few twists to the usual formula. However, what really sets “Kick the Moon” apart is the fact that there is a great deal going on in the film, as he works in a number of sub plots and interesting characters, much as he did in “Attack the Gas Station”, which it resembles quite closely. The film is essentially driven by the dynamic between Choi and Park, which is both believable and amusing, with the shifting balance in their relationship making for engaging viewing, The two lead actors are both on fine, charismatic form, and both make for great protagonists, playing flawed, petty and childish men who are nevertheless very likeable. Unusually for the genre, Kim also ensures that Min is far more than mere eye candy, with a spirited, scene stealing performance from Kim Hye Su making her a match for her male counterparts. The film delves deeply into themes of friendship and loyalty, and is very effective in this, testing the boundaries of the bond between the two men in the face of intense rivalry and jealousy. As a result, the comedy and violence are grounded by a solid emotional core, and the film is all the more entertaining for it.

Slapstick humour continues to be very popular in Korean cinema, though Kim is arguably one of the few directors to have mastered the form, and he includes plenty of pratfalls and physical gags without undermining the rest of the film. The proceedings are amusing throughout, with the competitiveness between the leads and their desperation to out do each other making for some very creative and funny scenes. Kim also throws in a good amount of action, with some nicely choreographed fights and baseball bat brawls, and the film does get pretty violent at times. Thankfully, he manages to hold off on the melodrama, and this adds a certain edge to the drama, even if the final resolution is predictably conventional.

Sang-Jin Kim (director) / Woo-Suk Kang (screenplay)
CAST: Sung-jae Lee … Park Young-jun
Seung-won Cha … Choi Ki-woong
Hye-su Kim … Min, Ju-ran
Jong-su Lee … Min, Jin-seob