DUBAI: This all-action thriller from South Korea, which landed on Netflix early this month, has hints of “John Wick,” “Killing Eve” and — as you might have guessed — “Kill Bill.” That’s not to say it’s derivative, however. The dialogue is smarter than your usual action flick, and the fight sequences have their own unique appeal that will satisfy fans of all of the above.
Gill Bok-soon (played by one of South Korea’s greatest actresses, Jeon Do-yeon) is a middle-aged single mother whose relationship with her 15-year-old daughter Jae-yeong has hit a rocky patch. It doesn’t help that her attempts to convince Jae-yeong to be honest with her are hampered somewhat by the fact that Bok-soon herself is living a double life. While her daughter and the other mothers at Jae-yeong’s posh private school believe she is an executive at an events company, Bok-soon is, in fact, one of the world’s finest contract killers — the star assassin at MK Ent, the country’s biggest such firm, where she is worshipped by her colleagues. Most of them, anyway.
Director Byun Sung-hyun, Esom as Cha Min-hee, Sul Kyung-gu as Cha Min-kyu on the set of ‘Kill Boksoon.’ (Supplied)
Her greatest gift is her ability to play out a series of probably outcomes in her head almost instantly before picking the right move to emerge victorious — a skill played out on screen through initially confusing but ultimately satisfying flashforwards. The final, impressively choreographed showdown sees numerous such scenes play out, layered over each other.
Bok-soon is a favorite (for several reasons) of the MK CEO, Cha Min-kyu, but not so popular with his creepy sister, Cha Min-hee, a company director. When Bok-soon has an unusual lapse in moral judgment (in that she actually shows some morals, following a conversation with her daughter) and fails to carry out a “show” (as MK calls its contracts), it gives Min-hee the excuse she has been looking for, and Bok-soon becomes the target, instead of the hunter.
It’s not the most original of storylines, admittedly, but writer-director Byun Sung-hyun shows some serious action chops with some captivating fight scenes and the narrative zips along impressively (although the film could easily have come in at under two hours, rather than its current 137 minutes, without losing any of its impact).
Jeon Do-yeon carries the film, playing Bok-soon with a pitch-perfect blend of arrogance and grace mingled with self-doubt and self-loathing. Bok-soon is constantly weighing herself against her daughter’s evident moral courage and finding herself lacking. Her fight to mend that relationship is as enthralling and challenging as any of her “shows.”