The term chick-flick usually refers to romantic comedies addressed almost exclusively to women, usually implementing a motif of an underdog (meaning a seemingly unremarkable, not particularly beautiful woman) romancing a rich handsome guy, eventually ending up together in true love after a bit of drama before the happy ending. On the other hand, the guy-flick, although not so widely known, also has its own rules, usually entailing intense violence, sex, gorgeous women and cool men, but very little context, in a style frequently met in Hollywood blockbusters, at least before political correctness started dictating everything. “For the Emperor” is a movie that belongs to the second category, in a fashion that can only be described as unashamed.
Lee Hwan, once a rising professional pitcher, is kicked out of the game he loves when he is caught in a match-rigging scheme. Without a place to call home, he has hit rock bottom, with his only value left being that he is a real great fighter, even winning against scores of enemies. This trait eventually draws the attention of Sang-ha, boss of Emperor Capital, the biggest private loan company in Busan, who ends up employing him. Despite the antagonism of a number of old-timers in the loan-sharking organization, Lee Hwan soon begins to ascend the ladder of the syndicate, while with his help, Emperor eventually takes over all the Busan gangs, becoming the undisputed leader of the area. On his way to the top, the young man eventually meets old man Han-deuk, who seems to be even higher in the ladder than Sang-ha, and gorgeous bar owner Yeon-soo, with whom he soon begins an erotic relationship. When she disappears, however, Lee Hwan starts suspecting his boss, and soon another kind of antagonism between the two begins.
“For the Emperor” is a genuine mixed-bag. For starters, the movie is extremely well-shot and choreographed, with the action scenes, starting with the introductory one and continuing with the plethora of ones appearing throughout the movie, highlighting Cha Taek-Kyun's cinematography, Kim Chang-ju and Park Gyeong-suk's editing, and the overall choreography in the best fashion, through a combination of brutality and artistry. In the same style, all visual aspects of the movie are top-notch, with a number of exterior shots of extreme beauty, a series of impressive night shots, and even the protagonists, particularly Lee Min-ki as Lee Hwan, Park Sung-woong as Jeong Sang-ha, and voluptuous Lee Tae-im as Cha Yeon-soo looking gorgeous at all times. Add to all that two rather lengthy and steamy sex scenes, and you have a movie that every guy would probably enjoy watching.
However, when one strays away from the sex, action, and eye-candy premises of the movie, the narrative is revealed as a total mess. The story doesn't make sense at all, since there is almost no reasoning for the majority of the characters' actions, essentially deeming them as caricatures that have very few things on their mind. Particularly the protagonist, seems to only want to fight, have sex, get drunk and gamble, in a style that nowadays can only be described as toxic (and cliched) masculinity. Furthermore, Han-deuk is written even worse than the rest, as if he was inserted in the story just to make the movie longer, and a number of secondary characters seem to be there just to eventually get beaten by Lee Hwan. Lastly, a flashback from Lee Hwan's childhood that essentially closes the movie, looks completely out of context, a desperate effort to make the story somewhat coherent.
As such, the only way for someone to enjoy “For the Emperor” is to focus on the elements Park Sang-joon focused himself, namely the action and the sex, and ignore everything else, in this unashamed guy-flick.
