Once Upon a Time in Corea (2008) Movie Review

“Once Upon a Time in Corea” sees the return of director Jeong Yong Ki, previously responsible for the second and third instalments of the hit comedy series “Marrying the Mafia” as well as the ghost story “The Doll Master”. Here, he tries his hand at period set action, with a tale of high adventure mixed with plenty of wacky laughs.

Set in the early 1940s during the brutal Japanese colonisation of Korea, the film revolves around the search for a 3000-carat diamond called ‘The Light of Dong Bang’, a stone of great national importance. Heading up the chase is cunning gentleman thief Bong Ku (Park Yong Woo, also in “Love Now”), who plans to swipe the jewel before the Japanese can transport it out of the country. The suave swindler crosses paths with Chun Ja (Lee Bo Young, recently in “A Dirty Carnival”), a jazz singer who just happens to moonlight as a notorious cat burglar. As the two fight over the prize, they come up against the military police and the Japanese army, not to mention a whole host of other characters desperate to get their hands on it.

Essentially a caper flick with lots of players, “Once Upon a Time in Corea” has the good sense not to take itself too seriously, with director Jeong managing to strike an effective balance between thrills and laughs. The humour is generally broad, though never crude and the slapstick is well handled enough as not to detract from the action scenes and the comic bickering is kept to a respectable level. Though not exactly hilarious, the film is consistently amusing, and Jeong’s light-hearted approach helps things move along at an amiable pace. A fair amount of the comic relief comes from a pair of dedicated though bumbling freedom fighters that frequently pop up throughout the film, also providing the viewer with a reference point for the common Korean people. This works well enough since they, like most of the characters in the film are a pretty amiable and likeable bunch, all of whom are amusing enough and as fleshed out as they need to be for this kind of film.

Although not exactly clever or particularly original, the film is tightly plotted and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep the viewer interested, with Jeong piling on the misunderstandings and switches of allegiance as the diamond keeps changing hands. There is a good amount of action and set pieces, with a number of gun battles and fight scenes, none of which are either violent or indeed convincing, though they are handled with a sense of fun and adventure.

The film does have a vaguely serious side, with an obvious undercurrent of nationalism and being set during a tumultuous period in Korean history. The Japanese as usual make for good villains, though it is interesting that a few of them actually turn out to be Koreans who have turned their back on their country, a touchy subject which the film never explores in any detail. Jeong earns considerable bonus points for managing to combine such weighty concerns without sacrificing the film’s pure entertainment value, and he generally avoids preachy faux heroism. Indeed, even the patriotism that creeps in during the latter stages is handled with a light touch and is not forced down viewers’ throats. Perhaps even more importantly, the film also eschews the usual slide into melodrama, with no long death speeches or sudden declarations of undying love.

Jeong’s direction is slick and confident throughout and the film is visually impressive without being needlessly flashy. Good production values bring the period to life with some nice sets and costumes, although a few pop culture references, along with the rather modern soundtrack and songs do detract from the overall effect somewhat without gaining much in return. Whilst not exactly an epic, the film does have a certain sense of scale, spanning several years and covering an important time in history, and this adds a vague feeling if not of depth, then at least of some substance.

It’s hard to fault “Once Upon a Time in Corea” as a piece of popcorn entertainment, and Jeong certainly manages to deliver enough thrills and spills to satisfy viewers. Whilst it doesn’t exactly offer anything particularly new or innovative, it stands as a solid, entertaining action comedy that should be enjoyed by all.

Jeong Yong-ki (director) / Cheon Seong-il (screenplay)
CAST: Park Yong-woo … Swindler Oh Bong-goo
Lee Bo-yeong … Thief Choon-ja
Kim Su-hyeon … Yamada
Seong Dong-il … President