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General's Son" is a re-release of the 1990
film by Im Kwon Taek, a director with over a
hundred films to his credit and a career which has
spanned more than five decades. Undoubtedly one of
the most important and influential figures in
modern Korean cinema, Im has been one of the first
to receive recognition outside his native land,
most notably with "Chihwaseon", which
won him the 2002 best director award at
Cannes
. "The General's Son" is one of his most
popular films, the first part of a trilogy and a
major box office success during its original
domestic release.
The plot is based on the
actual life of Korean independence activist and
fighter Kim Doohan, beginning with his early years
growing up as a beggar in the Jong Ro area --
which many saw as being the symbolic heart of the
country -- during the Japanese oppression. Doohan
becomes involved with the resident street gangs,
moving rapidly up the ranks due to his
considerable fighting skills and fierce bravery.
It transpires that he is actually the son of a
famous Korean general who is currently embroiled
in struggles against the invaders, and Doohan
himself gradually takes on a similar role, uniting
the gangs, residents and student idealists, and
fighting back against the cruel Japanese.
The film is obviously a
heroic, patriotic piece, and as such is perhaps
likely to mean more to Korean viewers, or those
with knowledge of the history of the time.
However, the plot itself is generic enough, based
upon themes of courage and pride which should give
it a universal appeal. Although fairly
predictable, and offering no real narrative
surprises, "The General's Son" is
nevertheless well told, and works both as a
depiction of a man's personal battle to take his
place in the world, and that of a nation
attempting to throw off the shackles of tyranny.
The main problem with the
narrative is that Doohan's character is never
really explored beyond his actions, and some of
his motivations and acts of bravery, though
merited by circumstance, would have benefited from
deeper exploration. This is a shame, as the
character is an interesting figure, and his
fascinating emergence from the violent gang world
to become a statesman and political figure
deserves more in depth examination. As a result,
his character does not develop significantly
during the film, and he is easier to sympathise
with as a symbol rather than an individual, which
robs the film of some of its emotional impact.
Similarly, a number of plot
points and thematically important supporting
characters are glossed over or mentioned only
briefly, serving to only undermine the narrative.
This is especially true towards the end, when a
couple of plot twists are hurriedly introduced to
slightly confusing effect.
Although "The General's
Son" is lacking in character development, and
is rather clumsy in revealing some of its secrets,
it is well paced, with a number of fight scenes to
keep things interesting. The film comes across as
a mixture of a serious, fact based historical
drama and an action packed gangster film. This is
an odd combination which is surprisingly
successful, and though perhaps not quite offering
enough for purists of either camp, it is in
general very entertaining.
Im directs with a rich
cinematic flair and a great eye for period detail,
which helps to bring the Jong Ro area and its
inhabitants to life in a convincing fashion. The
fight scenes are brief and somewhat one-sided,
though exciting and shot from a number of
interesting angles which give them a gritty,
realistic feel. The director's style is measured
and pleasingly unobtrusive, in sharp contrast to
the flashy editing and gimmicky techniques of
modern cinema.
"The General's Son"
is a worthy film, and for the casual viewer, it's
a good sample of the large body of work from its
director. Whether taken as a slice of patriotic
drama, or an action film with more depth than the
genre usually offers, "The General's
Son" deserves to be as well known outside
Korea
as some of the director's more artistically
inclined and weighty efforts. |
