After the feel-good dramas “Paper Flower” and “Eomung” in 2019, Koh Hoon ventures in comedy-land with a re-elaboration of the familiar theme of gangsters in disguise.
The film starts with a family extermination that will trigger a personal vendetta later in the story. Well, actually, the extermination is none other than the accidental death of little hamster Hairy under the wheel of a gang Boss' car. In fact, Hairy's owner, Cha Do-pil A.K.A. “Mad Dog” (Ji Seung-hyun) is an eccentric policeman who regards the little animal as his daughter and his whole family, while the family-annihilator is Boss Hwang (Kim Jung-tae), on his way to take down a rival gang. The latter is celebrating their Boss Jang's birthday with a picnic on the beach and a Hamtaro-shaped cake (Boss Jang loves hamsters too!). However, the merry day is interrupted by Hwang and his thugs who storm in, kill Boss Jong and try to do the same with the gang's members. Jong's 2 loyal henchmen Park Kyung-cheol A.K.A.“Bear Paw” (Oh Dae-hwan) and Lee Tae-yong A.K.A. “Baldy” (Lee Kyu-ho) barely manage to escape and during the night, they find shelter respectively in the run down Church of Angels and the Buddhist temple Hidden Shrine.
Bear Paw discovers that the Church of Angels had previously been depleted and ruined by a crooked pastor. The little but fervent community of faithful is overexcited in welcoming him as the new pastor and he reluctantly plays along, with unexpected, good results. In the meantime, in the other religious institution nearby, Baldy integrates with the monks, managing to get rid of a number of little scammers and petty thieves who hang around the Shrine, earning himself the title of defender of the Temple. Policeman Cha Do-pil, investigating Boss Hwang, comes across the two gangsters in disguise and convinces them to team up with him to hunt down Hwang and avenge both Boss Jang and little Hairy. As Cha Do-pil is occasionally possessed by the ghost of a little shaman girl, dead by fried chicken (don't ask) the unlikely trio decides to call itself PMS (Priest, Monk & Shaman) and very soon they are out for revenge.
South Korea has a rather diverse religious landscape, and a reputation for being tolerant of this diversity; in fact, freedom of religion is enshrined in the constitution. A significant portion of the population identifies as either Christian – with Protestantism and Catholicism being the dominant branches – or followers of Buddhism, which has a long history in Korea dating back to ancient times, followed by a smaller number of adherents to other faiths, like Confucianism and various forms of shamanism. “Holy Punch”, written and directed by Koh Hoon, takes advantage of this religiously multi-colored landscape and sets a light-hearted comedy of disguise and revenge, based on the evergreen gags of strident contrasts and displacement. As the Buddhist abbot summarizes at some point: “If the power of faith is combined with different religions, the effect could be multiplied”.
The three main characters, that from mid film become a proper action trio, are diverse and have good interactive rhythm, especially the two gangsters, sleek Bear Paw (because of a pair of vicious, spiky gloves he wears when fighting and saying mass) and chubby Baldy, vaguely reminiscent of the other action hero Ma Dong-seok, if only for the way he oozes a mix of congeniality and goofiness. There is a good chemistry between the actors, although Oh Dae-hwan stands out above the rest when we discover his angelic voice and his repressed talent for singing. A mention goes also to Kim Jung-tae, who perfectly embodies the vain and silly Boss Hwang, a wannabe influencer, poorly trying to gain followers on social media, in every possible “instagrammable” way.
Amusing situations originate spontaneously when the gangster find themselves forced to impersonate religious authorities and tame their habitual manners, or – even better – apply their methods for a good cause. However, we must not forget that “Holy Punch” is also an action movie and it doesn't disappoint as so. Fights are refreshingly well orchestrated and Ji Seung-hyun as “Mad Dog” Cha Do-pil shows off his proficiency and a number of cute hamster T-shirts. “Holy Punch” is the kind of family friendly action that doesn't openly show blood of gore. Nevertheless, a subplot of organ trafficking feels a touch too intense and somewhat out of place, even though its obvious purpose is justifying a character's betrayal. The film smoothly wraps up in 1 hour and 38 minutes – which is becoming a unique asset nowadays – and it leaves an open possibility for PMS of having more adventures together.
To conclude, “Holy Punch” swiftly delivers what expected, a bit of fun, a bit of action, a bit of silliness. All in all, an entertaining popcorn movie.
