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Big Scene" is the latest film from Korean
director Jang Jin, best known for the abstract
gangster comedy "Guns
and Talks", in which he attempted to
present a new spin on the usual hitman movie
formula. Here, Jin does the same, trying to
reinvigorate the traditional detective thriller by
working in the cynical theme of modern society's
obsession with the media and by infusing the film
with a decidedly offbeat sense of humour. This in
itself is nothing new, as many action film makers
have chosen to work in social commentary through a
critical presentation of the media, as seen most
recently in Johnnie To's "Breaking
News". However, Jin's film takes a
different, slightly more satirical route, adopting
the narrative format of television crime drama in
a cinematic manner in an effort to produce
something fresh and inventive.
The film begins in familiar
fashion, with the discovery of a woman's body in a
hotel room, apparently stabbed to death. The
police already have the prime suspect in custody,
Kim Young Hoon (the ever twitchy Shin Ha Kyun,
"Save
the Green Planet") who was spotted
visiting the victim earlier in the evening. The
police investigation, led by prosecutor Choi Yeon
Hee (Cha Seung Won, "Ghost House") takes
place in a special custom built office where every
aspect of the case can be filmed for a television
program. Unfortunately, the producers of the
program serve only to interfere with and impede
the police, and it soon becomes clear that the
case is not as simple as it first appeared.
The narrative is closely
patterned after television programs such as
"24" and "C.S.I", basing
itself around a gradual investigation and
revelation of evidence with frequent referrals to
the time elapsed since the murder. Jin takes this
one step further by dividing the film into several
chapters, based around interviews, testimony and
so on, giving the story a very clear and
deliberate structure. Jin also makes full use of
the television theme, inserting various segments
of interviews and audience debate over the
progress of the case.
Whilst this is vaguely
innovative, it has the unfortunate effect of
making the plot feel rather episodic. Since the
narrative makes a few odd leaps in terms of
investigative logic, the viewer quite often feels
left behind, and as such the plot never really
engages beyond anecdotal interest. At times, this
makes for quite confusing and frustrating viewing,
and at times the director himself seems unsure of
the film's identity and purpose. This is
especially true with the bizarre and hilarious
climax, which comes completely out of left field
and is either incredibly ill-judged, or evidence
of a surreal sense of humour on the part of the
director.
Although Jin never allows
"The Big Scene" to become dull, with a
running time of two hours it nevertheless feels
far too long, and is quite blatantly padded out
with a great deal of filler material. The actual
investigation itself feels secondary to the
strange supporting cast, most of who appear for
brief sketches that have little to do with the
actual plot. Whilst some of these are genuinely
amusing, they eventually become frustrating,
detracting from any tension which may have been
inherent in the mystery surrounding the killer's
identity.
To be fair, "The Big
Scene" does have some good moments,
especially during the early interrogation scenes.
The plot as a whole is reasonably intelligent,
with some intricate plotting and amusingly devious
character motivations. Ironically, it is with
these traditional elements of the detective
thriller that the film is most successful, and
which it would have benefited from developing
further. There is an intriguing mystery at the
heart of the plot, which is sadly smothered by
Jin's determined efforts to create something hip
and modern. Overall, "The Big Scene"
feels incoherent, being neither one thing nor the
other, and offering little more than mild
entertainment as a result. |
