It is safe to say that South Korean cinema has given us some of the best gangster sagas out there. However, in the last few years, the output in this genre has been sporadic at best and no productions really managed to make their names reach the heights of some that have been before. Hoping to change that is writer/director Cheon Myeong-gwan, with his debut feature “Hot Blooded.”
“Hot Blooded” is available from Finecut
Early 90s. The port town of Kuam, despite having various gangs laying claims to various parts and activities in the town, has known peace, thanks to an understanding between the Dons of the gangs. Hee-su is a low-level gangster who works for the old and orthodox Don Son and is faithful to his Mentor to a fault. This makes him a dangerous man for those that have their eye on some of the areas claimed by his Don. However, when Hee-su separates from the gang to start his own business to get away from a heavy gambling debt and be his own man, the others see an opportunity that can benefit a number of them, including Hee-su's childhood friend Chul-jin, who works for a different boss, and loose canon Yong-kang, a man with a history and an axe to grind with Hee-su. Despite everyone's best efforts otherwise, a full-blown war seems inevitable.
From the outset, it must be said that “Hot Blooded” is a feature that demands your undivided attention. Sure, it pulls you in straight away, but this is a narrative with a large number of characters with their own sets of motives, which does tend to be a bit overwhelming to begin with. These characters are introduced in quick succession to the point that it does get daunting to begin with, but once you get your head around it and the storyline settles down to its pace, a more comfortable and interesting gangster feature unfurls. Though it may not try many new things that could separate it from its predecessors in terms of its storyline, “Hot Blooded” is a prime example of a director doing well with what he has at his disposal.
Working off his own script based on an eponymous prize-winning novel by Kim Un-su, Cheon uses the mould of gangster tales that have been before, but manages to produce a work that excels thanks to its rich characters and a story that manages to cover a long period of time convincingly well. In that sense, it feels like a unique combination, intimate like Korean gangster films while also spreading its arms wide for a sprawling saga akin to Japanese Yakuza fare. Fans of the genre may see familiarity in some of its character arcs and double-crosses, but that does not take much away from the enjoyment that Cheon's feature has to provide. Violence is surprisingly sparingly used, but manages to make an impact whenever it appears, culminating in a memorable climactic sequence that is also teased early on in the feature. Like many productions in the genre though, “Hot Blooded” too manages to relegate its female characters, a grand total of two, to token representations instead of making anything substantial out of them.
The familiarity does not extend to the cinematography here though, with DOP Kang Gook-hyun opting for a less flashy and more realistic picture. This makes for an interesting visual experience that does work in places, but makes one wonder if a little bit of style employed in this department might have served the feature better. However, the real ace up the production's sleeve is Yoon Il-sang's music, a soundtrack that apparently took the composer two full years to complete, which changes the intensity of almost every scene it is utilised in for the better and makes even some of the more mundane sequences brim with life.
Returning to the world of gangsters after twelve years, Jung Woo portrays the journey of Hee-su with great adeptness, going through the various changes within the character, both in terms of his emotions and his rise in stature. A scene he shares with his girlfriend after a pivotal incident in the story shows off his range effectively. Veteran Kim Kap-soo does feel a bit under-utilised as Don Son, whereas Ji Seung-hyun, who plays Chul-jin, doesn't really get much scope to emote. Of the supporting cast, the two that do manage to leave their mark include Choi Moo-sung, whose unhinged Yong-kang comes across particularly scary, and Lee Hong-nae, who plays Ami, the son of Hee-su's girlfriend.
“Hot Blooded” certainly does tread familiar waters but manages to stand apart thanks to Cheon Myeong-gwan's very capable and uncompromising execution, fantastic characterisation and a soundtrack that knows its genre and the feature's time period too well, ultimately resulting in a surprisingly memorable gangster saga from South Korea, the likes of which are now rarely seen from the country's cinema.
