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| Showbox Promotional Poster Gangnam Blues 2015 |
Genre: Action
Episodes: 1 (Movie)
Starring: Lee Min-ho, Kim Rae-won, Jung Jin-young
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Plot Summary: Jong-dae (Lee Min-ho) and Yong-gi (Kim Rae-won) are childhood friends that grew up like brothers in the orphanage. Now adults, they have adopted each other and live together in a shanty town that is about to be demolished. To make the cut in life, they rummage through garbage in which its income is barely enough for them to survive in the poverty stricken district. With no heater to warm their nights, they can only endure the discomfort it brings. Their only aspiration is to have a decent place to live in.
Life takes a turn on the day their home is to be destroyed. A local gang leader, Kang Gil-soo (Jung Jin-young), recruits Jong-dae and Yong-gi in the destruction of a political venue where they get separated and lose each other in the process. Jong-dae becomes a family member of Gil-soo, who then decides to quit his lifestyle to lead an honest existence as a humble laundryman. Despite the strong opposition of his adoptive father, Jong-dae leads himself into joining the gang that involves swindling of farmers. Yong-gi on the other hand, ends up in a large and notorious criminal organization that deals with high level political game of corruption in the real estate development deal in Gangnam. They are destined to meet again after three long years of separation. A reunion of two brothers that could have been a blissful moment had they made the right choices. They are enmeshed into the opposing world of organized crimes, making them rivals, yet shares the familial bond even closer than before. Meeting in secret is a dangerous game they play driven by their own ambitions.
Yong-gi's impulsive behavior puts their brotherhood to the test when his loyalty is at bay with his fellow gang members. In a tight spot, he is constrained to kill Jong-dae's adoptive father so as to survive. It is a monstrous act that can't be kept hidden from Jong-dae, who almost gets him killed to avenge the death of the father he has ever known and who has given him home. Jong-dae spares Yong-gi's life but severing their ties, however, fate has a different plan for them.
My Thoughts: Done watching the movie and I am not sure how I should feel about it. My interest for Rae-won brought me, of course, to watch it, Min-ho is secondary. I have loved Rae-won since the Attic Cat and followed majority of his works since then. There's still a handful I have yet to see. I believe in Rae-won's acting abilities and he never fails to impress me. He is really a master of his craft and I admire him for the choices in his projects that would really promote his versatility as an actor. After seeing Gangnam Blues, I am not sure what made him decide to take on the offer. I have read somewhere that the role was initially offered to Hyun-bin, who without batting an eyelash turned the offer down of the said project. And now, I see the reason why. He is handsome, alright. I get it and I am one of those who would appreciate seeing him on bare skin but in a different manner. I am not really sure why he had to go all the way in this movie - his bed scene was too much for me. It is something that I am not ready to see and wouldn't take advantage of (**winks**). Lol! I am just a super protective fan! Yes, I get the fact that the plot is all about gangsters and its lifestyle. That is a well known fact and I strongly believe that the production of Gangnam Blues would still be able to convey its story perfectly without going through all that. A work of art requires creativity - the scene could have been done in a subtle manner. If the movie warrants the scene to depict a realistic approach to impress the viewers, I strongly feel that they could have done a better job on it without getting their actors go through that. Honestly, even if that scene is not a part of the script, it wouldn't change the brilliance of the flick. The allotted time could have been put in better use in the development of the character of the actors. While it's true that the lead actors are able to exhibit exemplary performance with the depth of acting they have shown, I am rooting for the inner thoughts and emotions of two childhood friends that grew up together more than like brothers, who have only known hunger, thirst for love of a family and the lack of simple comforts in life. Their characters lack the emotions needed for me as a viewer to feel them and understand their life choices brought by poverty and harsh condition of their class in the society. Sad to say, I am only impressed how well they have executed facial expressions, dialogue delivery, fighting stunts and choreography, direction, etc., which are all in the surface and could be done by any seasoned actor and director hence my superficial impression on the movie. Moreover, the fast paced development of the scenes gave me a hard time following and absorbing what's happening - I had to re-watch for a second time to understand the political complexity of the premise. On another note, I am impressed with Min-ho's versatility and advancement from a flower boy to a gangster. I believe, he is truly ready to embark on mature projects to further flourish his career as an actor in the truest sense of the word. I am also super impressed with how he carried out the fighting stunts despite his prior stereotyped roles and I welcome with all my heart his exploration to test his versatility. It is just too sad that he started change on a project that wasn't able to really bring out the best in him. More to my observation, I take pride with the Filipino song composed and sang by the artist himself, Freddie Aguilar, being used in this Korean movie, however, the message that the song brings is not a fit to the background of the lead characters. The title of the song is 'Anak' which is 'Son/Daughter/Child' in English. Jong-dae and Yong-gi are orphans probably abandoned by irresponsible parents or what have you, no details given on their background. The song is all about the unconditional love of parents to their 'Anak' who was nurtured and raised with the good morals and values but with his own life choices has gone astray from the path his parents prepared him for. Therefore, it doesn't make any sense using 'Anak' in this movie. Overall, the flick is not all that bad and still have what it takes to be at least in the average. Though it lacked substance, I would still encourage you to give this one a go.
Life takes a turn on the day their home is to be destroyed. A local gang leader, Kang Gil-soo (Jung Jin-young), recruits Jong-dae and Yong-gi in the destruction of a political venue where they get separated and lose each other in the process. Jong-dae becomes a family member of Gil-soo, who then decides to quit his lifestyle to lead an honest existence as a humble laundryman. Despite the strong opposition of his adoptive father, Jong-dae leads himself into joining the gang that involves swindling of farmers. Yong-gi on the other hand, ends up in a large and notorious criminal organization that deals with high level political game of corruption in the real estate development deal in Gangnam. They are destined to meet again after three long years of separation. A reunion of two brothers that could have been a blissful moment had they made the right choices. They are enmeshed into the opposing world of organized crimes, making them rivals, yet shares the familial bond even closer than before. Meeting in secret is a dangerous game they play driven by their own ambitions.
Yong-gi's impulsive behavior puts their brotherhood to the test when his loyalty is at bay with his fellow gang members. In a tight spot, he is constrained to kill Jong-dae's adoptive father so as to survive. It is a monstrous act that can't be kept hidden from Jong-dae, who almost gets him killed to avenge the death of the father he has ever known and who has given him home. Jong-dae spares Yong-gi's life but severing their ties, however, fate has a different plan for them.
My Thoughts: Done watching the movie and I am not sure how I should feel about it. My interest for Rae-won brought me, of course, to watch it, Min-ho is secondary. I have loved Rae-won since the Attic Cat and followed majority of his works since then. There's still a handful I have yet to see. I believe in Rae-won's acting abilities and he never fails to impress me. He is really a master of his craft and I admire him for the choices in his projects that would really promote his versatility as an actor. After seeing Gangnam Blues, I am not sure what made him decide to take on the offer. I have read somewhere that the role was initially offered to Hyun-bin, who without batting an eyelash turned the offer down of the said project. And now, I see the reason why. He is handsome, alright. I get it and I am one of those who would appreciate seeing him on bare skin but in a different manner. I am not really sure why he had to go all the way in this movie - his bed scene was too much for me. It is something that I am not ready to see and wouldn't take advantage of (**winks**). Lol! I am just a super protective fan! Yes, I get the fact that the plot is all about gangsters and its lifestyle. That is a well known fact and I strongly believe that the production of Gangnam Blues would still be able to convey its story perfectly without going through all that. A work of art requires creativity - the scene could have been done in a subtle manner. If the movie warrants the scene to depict a realistic approach to impress the viewers, I strongly feel that they could have done a better job on it without getting their actors go through that. Honestly, even if that scene is not a part of the script, it wouldn't change the brilliance of the flick. The allotted time could have been put in better use in the development of the character of the actors. While it's true that the lead actors are able to exhibit exemplary performance with the depth of acting they have shown, I am rooting for the inner thoughts and emotions of two childhood friends that grew up together more than like brothers, who have only known hunger, thirst for love of a family and the lack of simple comforts in life. Their characters lack the emotions needed for me as a viewer to feel them and understand their life choices brought by poverty and harsh condition of their class in the society. Sad to say, I am only impressed how well they have executed facial expressions, dialogue delivery, fighting stunts and choreography, direction, etc., which are all in the surface and could be done by any seasoned actor and director hence my superficial impression on the movie. Moreover, the fast paced development of the scenes gave me a hard time following and absorbing what's happening - I had to re-watch for a second time to understand the political complexity of the premise. On another note, I am impressed with Min-ho's versatility and advancement from a flower boy to a gangster. I believe, he is truly ready to embark on mature projects to further flourish his career as an actor in the truest sense of the word. I am also super impressed with how he carried out the fighting stunts despite his prior stereotyped roles and I welcome with all my heart his exploration to test his versatility. It is just too sad that he started change on a project that wasn't able to really bring out the best in him. More to my observation, I take pride with the Filipino song composed and sang by the artist himself, Freddie Aguilar, being used in this Korean movie, however, the message that the song brings is not a fit to the background of the lead characters. The title of the song is 'Anak' which is 'Son/Daughter/Child' in English. Jong-dae and Yong-gi are orphans probably abandoned by irresponsible parents or what have you, no details given on their background. The song is all about the unconditional love of parents to their 'Anak' who was nurtured and raised with the good morals and values but with his own life choices has gone astray from the path his parents prepared him for. Therefore, it doesn't make any sense using 'Anak' in this movie. Overall, the flick is not all that bad and still have what it takes to be at least in the average. Though it lacked substance, I would still encourage you to give this one a go.
My Rating: 7.5/10
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Other Kim Rae-won Dramas/Movies: Attic Cat, Punch, Love Story In Harvard, Which Star Are You From, Gourmet
Other Lee Min-ho Dramas/Movies: One Line Love, Mackerel Run
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