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 t's
open to debate why director Woo-Suk Kang ("Silmido")
has made a sequel to his popular 2002 crime film "Public
Enemy" by bringing back the same star, but have him be a completely new
character that just happens to share the same name as the character he played in
the original. Confused? Don't be. When you come right down to it, "Another
Public Enemy" is essentially the same movie as its predecessor, which makes
it less than a sequel and more of an unnecessary re-imagining. Except, of
course, there isn't a whole lot of "re-imagining" going on, which may
beg the question: "Why?"
The answer seems readily obvious: the first one
made money. So why not?
"Another Public Enemy" brings back star
Kyung-gu Sol as Chul-jung Kang, a criminal prosecutor so devoted to his
job that he voluntarily goes out on raids with the cops. As Kang informs
us in the film's opening scenes, it was while watching handsome rich
boys like Sang-woo Han (Jun-ho Jeong) flaunt their ability to get out of
any trouble using their wealthy pedigree that convinced Kang there was a
desperate need for honest men in the criminal system. Now adults,
Sang-woo and Kang crosses paths once again when the former is suspected
in not only his father's death, but also the near fatal
"accident" of his younger brother.
As Kang begins his investigation, he discovers that
the rich have ways to skirt justice, and it includes leisurely trips on
posh golf courses with politicians and, literally, buckets of cash
tossed into the trunk while the golf game is in full swing. As he did
when he was a schoolboy, Sang-woo puts on the full court press using his
power and privilege to stifle Kang's investigation, and failing that,
it's time for something more personal and face-to-face, with fists doing
the talking.
If you've seen the first "Public Enemy",
"Another Public Enemy" is essentially working from the same
script. Once more, the underdog Kang, who despite having an amazing
memory and devout adherence to truth, justice, and the Korean way this
go-round, is still very much out-classed, out-smarted, and out-charmed
by the sociopath Sang-woo. As with the original, Kang finds a way around
his obstacles using pure mad dog persistence. The guy really is quite
amazing if you think about it, which may explain why the filmmakers were
so hesitant to tinker with the character at all aside from affixing him
with a new job title.
As an odd, parallel universe offshoot of the
original, or even as a new movie entirely, "Another Public
Enemy" is serviceable as a drama/comedy/crime film, even if it does
last much too long at over two hours-plus of running time. That means
much of the film is spent with uninteresting bureaucratic maneuvering as
Kang attempts to do his job while the bosses try to block him at every
step. It's all very uninteresting stuff, and would actually be somewhat
more interesting if we hadn't already seen it the first time around in
the original film. In short, there doesn't seem to be any practical
reason why the film should be two hours, much less two hours and 20
minutes.
In the lead, Kyung-gu Sol is convincing and endearing
as the stoic prosecutor, and Sang-woo makes a good villain, the kind of
rich scum that you want Kang to clean up at all cost. Less respectable
is the film's not-so-subtle uses of the Sang-woo character as a
representative of a certain Western power, while Kang represents the
pious, steadfastness and honesty of Mother Korea. If you didn't
"get" that Sang-woo is supposed to represent Evil America by
the many mentions of America in association with Sang-woo's evil deeds,
then all traces of doubt should vanish when Sang-woo boasts that he's an
"all American" citizen. At a time when anti-Americanism is a
trendy fad in Korea, such predictable and self-serving politicking by
the filmmakers is more than a little disgusting.
If you
enjoyed the mesh of comedy, drama, and violence of the original,
"Another Public Enemy" is a second serving, and little else.
Add to that some red meat for the home crowd via the film's jingoistic
nationalism (which in itself is an oddity, as you seldom find
nationalistic pride in crime films), and this is
serviceable entertainment for the undemanding masses. There's little
detour in the formula by director Woo-Suk Kang, which, depending on your
expectations, is either a good thing or a bad thing. One does wish the
sequel had ventured into new territory, as there doesn't seem to be any
real reason to make a sequel if there wasn't any ambition attached.
Heck, even the filmmakers behind "My
Wife is a Gangster" gave their leading lady amnesia in the
sequel. Woo-Suk Kang and company didn't even bother to give their hero a
new name. Is that laziness or homage? You decide.
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