Politics, corruption and capitalist greed are common themes amongst recent Korean cinema, with anything from the seduction of climbing the sociopolitical ladder, to the tempestuous temptation of fiscal gain, being covered somewhat regularly. By this token, “The King” offers little in the form of surprises, but does serve up an interesting look at the allure of the so-called 1%, and just how destructive hedonistic avarice can be. Sweeping the box office upon release, and subsequently award nominations and victories in the months that followed, this political thriller is unlikely to disappoint, even with its rather overdrawn climax.
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Predominantly, the story revolves around the point-of-view character Park Tae-soo (Jo In-sung). In his youth, Tae-soo was a rebel of sorts, an adolescent who ditched studying for fist-fights, and lived his life admiring his petty crook father. However, the disobedient son soon has a change of heart when witnessing his criminal dad kneel before a prosecutor, concluding that it is those who have the brains who hold the true power in life. Thus, he hits the books, and seeks to find his way into a world he is anything but acquainted with.
Despite this, Park manages to enter (and then graduate from) the prestigious Seoul National University, consequently achieving both his goal of becoming a prosecutor, and also the type of man he perceives to have power and status. Yet, just as briskly as he breaks into the field, Tae-soo ascertains that this lifestyle is not all that glamorous, and often revolves around mundane admin work, with little thanks afforded. Fortunes can quickly change though, and after insisting on probing into a sexual assault case involving an affluent man's son, the young upstart is introduced to Yang Dong-cheol (Bae Sung-woo), a man who soon helps integrate Park into the 1% of prosecutors. These men, led by Han Kang-sik (Jung Woo-sung), seemingly hold all the sway in Korea, with connections spanning from the mafia to the electorate, and have an expansive archive of unlawful deeds ready to be exposed once “ripened.” They are hardly ethical, but with the rookie desperate to cut his teeth with the elite, finds himself drawn to the shady clique, and in due time, a fully-fledged cog in the alpha-male machine.
Nevertheless, nothing in life is permanent, and although it may take decades, the fresh-faced Park Tae-soo eventually comes to realise that the revolving door of sociopolitical positioning can hit you square in the face just as easily as it can welcome you.
In crafting such an unclouded, easily detectable worldview rife with corruption, Han Jae-rim pens and directs a movie seamlessly expansive, and fundamentally gripping. Integrating crowd-pleasing themes such as political manoeuvring, the poor boy's rise to the top, and the unabetting selfishness that comes with capitalism certainly helps, but Han still incorporates such messages without softening the core of the plot, and never finds himself wholly embracing tropes. That is not to say everything is perfect, the overblown car crash scene and rapidly unfolding revenge arc towards the apex switches the dynamic away from conceivable to evidently sensationalised, but largely “The King” is skilful in its execution of the rise, and ensuing fall, of its power-hungry leads.
Furthermore, praise must also be awarded for the snappiness of the feature, with the film cruising through its 135-minute runtime, and never languishing into boring territory. This may be in part due to just how meaty the subject matter is (it does span over two decades, after all), with Tae-soo's omniscient narration guiding the viewer through each year, whilst simultaneously contextualising the work of his clique, but it could also be down to Han's consummate delivery in chopping away unnecessary dialogue and action, and instead focusing on making every scene count. Therefore, “The King” is a relatively breezy watch despite its weighty content, moving along plot points at an undeniably breakneck pace.
On the other hand, and rather disappointingly considering the confidence in the dispatching of the movie's story, Han does seem to leave his main character Park Tae-soo lost in the shuffle at times, rendering him difficult to invest in. For a large portion of proceedings, he is a passive underling to the lofty, ambitious Han Kang-sik, and seems to observe, rather than act. Consequently, it becomes rather difficult to invest in both Park's short-lived demise down the social ladder, and his grand scheme of entering the political arena to overthrow his steadfast former boss, as the two arcs simultaneously lack emotional gravitas behind them. Instead, audiences are likely to wish to uncover the bludgeoned fate of the 1% in more detail, as opposed to the potential triumph of the archetypal man who succumbs to selfish desires before coming good again.
From an acting perspective though, “The King” is near-faultless. Jo In-sung plays the boyish Tae-soo with tremendous flair, gifting him charisma and an unwavering confidence, even in the face of impending loss. Believable in his naivety, as well as in an overriding yearning to become the man his father could never be, Jo depicts a morally grey social climber seamlessly. Similarly, both Bae Sung-woo and Jung Woo-sung offer brilliant performances in their respective parts. The former, a tactful, cunning prosecutor who has himself experienced plenty, and invests wholly in the society his boss wishes to mould, is livened by Bae's enthused presentation, whilst the ring-leader Han Kang-sik is made all the more smarmy thanks to a nuanced performance from the experienced Jung.
Continuing, the technical aspects of the feature are just as impressive. Most prominently, Shin Min-kyung's astute editing, which utilises real-world footage and musical cues to help transition the movie across its timeline, and give it a punchy feel. This approach won Shin awards for his work, and gives an extra layer of sharpness to an already neatly administered production. Additionally, cinematographer Kim Woo-hyoung provides an excellent colour palette throughout the film, making for inviting, warm viewing, and breathing life into the many locations used throughout.
In conclusion, “The King” is an excellent piece of cinema. It may suffer from some of the same hubris it paints its characters with when it tries to unfold into an epic, but when scathingly, subtlety critical of Korea's society and ruling classes, Han's fifth directorial effort truly packs a worthwhile punch.
