©Epic Pictures
Su-hyuk broods hard, very much like the other titular men in “man” films, like Man on Fire (either of them) and The Man from Nowhere. He too is a jaded man of action, who must rescue an innocent child from a powerful criminal organization. After ten years in prison, Su-hyuk has no intention of being a hero. He just wants to retire from his old line of dirty work. Fans of Korean gangster movies will expect his old boss might have different ideas. Conflict inevitably ignites in actor Jung Woo-sung’s directorial debut, A Man of Reason, which opens in theaters this Friday (with a VOD release the following Tuesday).
Su-hyuk possesses the necessary skills and a sleek, gangster-worthy car, but he no longer wants to be an enforcer. Instead, he desires a second chance with his estranged girlfriend, Min-seo, and the young daughter, In-bi, whom he never knew existed. Obviously, that will not happen if he returns to work for Eung-kook. Now referred to as the “Chairman,” his former boss assumed a veneer of respectability, by transforming his crime syndicate into a semi-legit real estate corporation. Of course, they still do business the old gangster way.
While Su-hyuk was away, Kang largely handled the Chairman’s thuggery. He seethes knowing his boss considers Su-hyuk a trade-up, so he contracts his two wildly unstable out-of-house hired killers to eliminate Su-hyuk. Woo-jin (a.k.a. “The Washer”) and his girlfriend Jin-A are reckless, immature psychopaths, but they get the job done—in spectacularly messy fashion. Yet, in the case of Su-hyuk, they initially only succeed in bitterly enraging him. Of course, they keep trying, while Su-hyuk targets them in return. Unfortunately, the ruthless Jin-A is smart enough to figure out his Achilles heel: In-bi.
©Epic Pictures
Clearly, Man of Reason follows a familiar, almost archetypal, set-up, but it still works for Jung, who also stars and co-scripted with Jung Hae-sin. He quietly slow-burns with appropriate leading-man intensity as Su-Hyuk, while convincingly throwing down in several fan-pleasing action spectacles. The dark suits and black BMW fit him like tailored gloves. Just the sight of him spinning out donuts in Eung-hyuk’s ostentatious lobby, while fighting off hordes of henchmen from his driver’s side window justifies the price of admission.
Admittedly, Jung (whom many Cinema Daily US readers will likely recognize from high-profile Korean releases, such as Steel Rain, Hunt, and The Good, the Bad, the Weird) is not stretching himself as a thesp in this film. His primary job is to look cool, at which he smashingly succeeds, even in the questionable hair-style he sports for a massively violent flashback scene.
However, Man of Reason boasts multiple varieties of distinctive villains. Kim Nam-gil is flamboyantly creepy and disturbingly childlike as Woo-jin. Frankly, the early scene of the Washer toying with an ill-fated minister, before killing him and burning down his church (thereby clearing the way for Eung-kook’s development), would not feel out of place in a horror movie. Seriously, it is hard to get viler than killing a pastor in his own house of worship, so that certainly establishes Woo-jin’s ujnhinged derangement. Park Yoo-na compliments him nicely as the calmer, more collected, and possibly more twisted Jin-A.
©Epic Pictures
Korean character actor Park Sung-woong is totally in his element portraying the coldly serpent-like Eung-kook, but fans might not recognize him at first, due to his devilish beard. Yet, the way Kim Joon-han portrays the violently resentful Kang as such an unusually insecure and neurotic heavy, really stands out quite memorably.
This idiosyncratic assembly of villains greatly elevates Man of Reason. Indeed, the bad guys are among the film’s best assets. Yet, it is worth noting Ryu Jian is quite an expressive young thesp, who is arresting credible as little Im-bi, in her scenes of peril.
A Man of Reason serves up great action set-pieces and super-nasty villains, who really have it coming to them. Jung distinguishes himself more helming than starring in his maiden voyage as a director, but he marshals all the elements quite dexterously. It is all super-stylish and ultimately quite satisfying. Easily recommended for fans of action movies and Korean gangster films, A Man of Reason opens in theaters this Friday (7/5).
Grade: B
If you like the article, share your thoughts below!
Check out more of Joe’s articles.
Here’s the trailer of the film.