Bad Guy (2003) Movie Information:

Bad Guy (2003) Directed by: Kim Ki-duk Bad Guy (2003) Written by: Kim Ki-duk Bad Guy (2003) Cast: Kim Yoon-Tae, Choi Duk-Moon, Choi Yoon-Young, Shin Yoo-Jin, Kim Jung-young

Bad Guy (2003) U.S. Distributor: Lifesize Entertainment Bad Guy (2003) U.K. Distributor: Not available at this time

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Bad Guy (2003) Synopsis:

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Bad Guy (2003) Movie Review:

Kim Ki-Duk is a prolific Korean director, whose movies have previously won awards at the Sundance and Moscow film festivals.
His features are made on a low budget, for this one he had a million dollars, although usually his films are made for half that or less. But is it money well spent?

Well, the plot is pretty intriguing. Han-Gi, (Hyn-Cho) is a gangster from the notorious red light district in Korea, who spots a pretty girl, Sun-Hwa (Seo), leaving class. He has always longed to be with a college girl and impulsively approaches her and kisses her passionately. Unfortunately, he forgets to ask permission first and gets a beating for his troubles.

He becomes fixated on having her, somehow, as his own, and when he spots her pick-pocketing in town he takes advantage to set her up so that she becomes even more indebted.

He then takes her to a local brothel; where she has to become a 'window display' in order to pay back what she owes.This allows Han-Gi to spy on her by means of a two-way mirror, his own personal prisoner. He possesses her.
Of course, Han-Gi is the "Bad Guy," and he truly lives up to this title. So ruined is he by the life he has lived that he sees nothing wrong with what he has done. He watches through the glass, a creepy reflection as Sun-Hwa's innocence gradually disappears and her life as she knew it is decimated.

The unforgivable thing about Han-Gi is that he has numerous opportunities to right what he has done but chooses not to. As she tries to escape the hell he has placed her in he returns her there, unable to give her up once he has her in his grip.

Yes, this movie is really unsettling, showing plausibly how young girls can find themselves trapped into this way of life. Its tone is perpetually downbeat, but once you have started watching it also becomes compulsive, as you long to know what will become of these characters in their seemingly hopeless lives.
You may long to put Han-Gi into a box marked 'Evil', but when you see how he has lived and been conditioned you come closer to understanding how he has become such a monster. He also shows flashes of humanism, which are hard to comprehend but nonetheless, moving.

In one particular scene, Sun-Hwa is sobbing lethargically against the mirror in her room, vivid strokes of red lipstick she has angrily etched on the mirror breaking up her profile. She is unaware of Han-Gi on the other side, trying to wipe away her tears and tenderly kissing her cheek.
This is an amazing shot, and the director shows a real flair for the dramatic, intimate scene here. It contrasts strongly with the way the women are normally treated, like produce on a shelf for the passing consumer.
Eventually it becomes clear that Han-Gi also feels trapped, feels that this is all he is worth and there the characters begin the have some common ground.
Sun-Hwa becomes a character of such fascination, she is like a broken doll that has given up on everything and her despair brings a lump to the throat. Credit where it is due here, Seo's acting skills are excellent. She lifts the film onto another plain, as she looks so out of place in the dirty streets, almost ethereal.

Hyn-Cho plays the Bad Guy without emotion, as this is what is required of the part. His hard features give nothing away, this is perhaps why when he encounters emotional moments he is either shot from the back or glimpsed in shadow through the mirror. We never see his eyes when he loses it, which maintains his persona.

The streets of Seoul at night are colourful and seedy, and the girls on the streets are pretty, vibrant and inviting, but here you also get to see the sadness behind the bright façade.

There are also moral structures within this environment - the ethical implications of filming the girl's activities are explored and it is deemed unacceptable even in this place.

The soundtrack to the movie is high quality and fitting for a low-budget film, sounding a little like an Asian "Portishead", sombre and cold.
The ending is a bit of a letdown, when a story takes you down this path you long for something more and don't really get it here.
It's not a conventionally enjoyable movie, but then it's obviously designed to make a statement. It's thought provoking but also perpetually grim.
This is a film that will divide its audience - alienating a lot of them with its well directed and offbeat take on the themes, but giving an alternate glimpse of the oldest profession.

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Bad Guy (2003) review written by: Terresa Gaffney