With 2019's success of “Parasite”, Bong Joon-ho's other movies have once again seen an extreme spike in interest from the general public. However, Bong's first feature film “Barking Dogs Never Bite” often misses out on this added attention. To find out whether this is justified, we revisited it.
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Bong's start in the feature film industry and released in 2000, this black comedy focuses on very simple story, at its core. A down-on-his-luck college lecturer is getting tired of the constant barking by a dog, somewhere in his apartment building. Irritation builds up, and one day he decides that sitting idly by is no longer an option. He takes matters into his own hands, and the story spirals out of control from there.
“Barking Dogs Never Bite” is not the most memorable of Bong's films, but to be fair, that doesn't say much, considering the quality of his repertoire. It's still one worth watching. The production features a very unique, yet thin, premise that gets explored about as much as possible. Dark themes intertwine themselves with spurs of comedy, hijinks, and surprise. Thematically, this is Bong's closest work to “Parasite”, and thus one of the most interesting parts of this production becomes its comparison to that one, showing the obvious improvement Bong has made in almost 20 years. However, it is a little unfair to compare the two, seeing as they're both in completely different ballparks.
The script as written by Bong himself is filled with entertaining and unique ideas, but those float around separately throughout the story surrounded by scenes that are just “okay”, and at points seem to lack purpose. They don't really connect well, aren't meshing, and it often feels like something is missing in between. The humor lands well some of the time but falls flat just as often. The film is constantly close to being great, but something, likely experience, is holding it back. It feels unpolished. Its pacing is quite slow, which is especially a gripe considering the script's very thin concept. There's only so much you can do with it, and it would've benefited from getting trimmed down a bit by editor Lee Eun-su (The Housemaid).
This isn't to say that there is nothing positive to say about the editing. In fact, it has some really inspired moments that stand out from the rest, they're just too far and in between. This is a theme in “Barking Dogs Never Bite”, it misses that necessary consistent finesse and purpose. It's important to declare that this still isn't a poor movie, and that when it hits the beats, it does so perfectly. There are incredibly exciting moments in the film and extremely funny ones. However, it just isn't enough to bring the whole production together.
The highlight of the movie is composer Cho Sung-woo , who really outdid himself. The score is jazzy, incredibly memorable, and worth listening to on its own, really adding to the whole experience. The cinematography by Cho Yong-kyu can demonstrate some stirring moments but is overall not too remarkable.
One aspect you cannot fault the film for, and one of its strongest assets, is in its performances. Watching star-in-the-making Bae Doo-na in one of her earliest projects as Park Hyeon-nam, the panicky and goofy bookkeeper, is incredibly entertaining. She plays her role with poise, showing off her range throughout. Bae later mentions the chase scene in this movie to be the most memorable scene in her career, and it's easy to see why. It's highly energizing to watch, and the whole sequence is the high point of the production. From editing, score, to the dynamic performances, it's a clear highlight. Lee Sung-jae in turn as Go Yun-ju, the lead who sets the whole story off, is amusing to watch. He makes it easy to “love to hate” his character, keeping his deplorable side just subtle enough not to be over the top.
In retrospect, “Barking Dogs Never Bite” is a good middle-of-the-road, enjoyable, and fun movie. A bit more polishing and a bit more experience would've been able to bring it to a higher level. It is not exceptional, but it does have heart, and it's entertaining. If you're a dog person, this is probably a film to skip. However, if you're in for a decently heartwarming movie that shows you some future Korean stars in their infancy, it's worth a watch.
