This year's Korean selection at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is remarkably split. Three of them — by trustworthy auteurs Hirokazu Koreeda, Hong Sang-soo, and Park Chan-wook — are noticeably quiet, sophisticated tales about a found family (“Broker”), a homebody filmmaker in conversation (“Walk Up”), and a murder mystery (“Decision to Leave”). First-time actors-turned-directors Lee Jung-jae (known for “Squid Game”) and Jung Woo-sung (“The Good, the Bad, the Weird”), however, clearly lack the elegance of the former. They seem to capitalize upon Hollywood-esque sensationalism instead, showing a penchant for senseless violence — and in turn, incredibly boring movies.
A Man of Reason is screening at Toronto International Film Festival
In Jung Woo-sung's “A Man of Reason,” Jung himself stars as Su-hyuk, a previously-incarcerated criminal who simply wants to live a normal life. His history with the underworld haunts him, however – threatening to swallow his former girlfriend and daughter whole. These provocations motivate Jung to fight fire with fire. In accordance to the Korean title (which more closely translates to “Guardian”), he braves car chases, bombs, and multiple gun fights in an all-out effort to protect his child from the bloodthirsty employer of his past.
On paper, this film sounds like a good time. In reality, “A Man of Reason” is, politely put, a time sink. Jung Woo-sung is not sparing in his budget; explosions frequently envelope the screen and he freely wrecks the first floor of a luxury hotel set for the camera. The technique of the craft does little to mask the weak script and poor acting, however. Unlike Superman, Su-hyuk's Kryptonite is mysteriously – and suddenly – his relationship with his newly-discovered (and thus, mostly estranged) daughter. (Funnily enough, In-bi's confusion at Su-hyuk's sudden bravado is reflective of the audience's own. Why does he suddenly care about this child? Why is he still so good at fighting after being locked up for ten years?) This sudden shoe-in of a character's vulnerability leads to an effortlessly suave ex-gangster front. Like an extended PR stunt, Su-hyuk – and in turn, Jung Woo-sung himself – looks unremarkably invincible on the big screen.
The movie's missing heart bleeds into the action as well. The thrill is entirely lost on the inexplicably flat cast; Jung Woo-sung loses sight of the film's stakes. Each new fight scene is only momentarily stimulating; each sudden jolt only seems like noise. It is hard for one to enjoy the thriller without any emotional investment. Why should one care about the next near-death experience, when one does not care for the characters anyway?
“A Man of Reason,” then, ends up being a far (and mostly disappointing) cry from his last action thriller, “Beasts Strawing at Claws.” Instead, it resonates more with “Hunt,” but with a much simpler and equally nonsensical storyline. The two films enjoy the spectacle of violence; the only real difference is who gets affected instead. In “Hunt,” Lee Jung-jae subjects himself to “Squid Game” levels of torture at the hands of the North Korean CIA. “Man of Reason,” on the other hand, feels more like an extended PR stunt instead. Jung Woo-sung pats himself on the back for his cool effortlessness in his new character – emerging, of course, from every near-death experience unscathed.
All in all, “A Man of Reason” is simply bland. It plays into the popular hype around gorey Korean cinema, but does so without much success. Aside from the special effects, the production does little to excite, much less thrill. This formless appeal to visceral stimulation reveals an innate, naive clumsiness in Jung Woo-sung's direction — perhaps signaling that the man is perhaps better-suited to simply being in front of the camera.
