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How entertaining? ★★★☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆ 26 November 2011
This article is a review of CRYING FIST. |
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As an actor, how do you follow revenge masterpiece OLDBOY on your résumé? You work for action maestro Seung-wan Ryoo (CITY OF VIOLENCE). Min-sik Choi is as intense as usual, as Gang Tae-shik, the middle-aged down-and-out ex-Asian Games silver medallist who owes money and is owed money. His family-life is disintegrating, and now on a busy shopping high street he challenges passers-by to unleash their stress by hitting him for one-minute. The other contender for the climatic tournament, which the film is heading towards, is Yoo Sang-hwan (Seung-beom Ryu), who is quickly sent to prison. After a particularly tenacious fight Yoo is encouraged to join the inmate boxing team, where his rage and fearlessness are harnessed. Both men are not particularly likeable, having abrasive qualities, though humanly portrayed, and watchable. There is a melancholia to proceedings that sometimes feels drawn out, but the wait is worth it for the stunningly choreographed final match, and you don’t know who is going to win – pretty refreshing eh? The director admitted in the Q&A after the screening that he would have toned down the warmth of the ending, which is a fair analysis as it was too cheesy for me. For a sports movie there are some conventions employed, including the requisite montage training sequence, though the majority of the movie seems to be about finding some sort of inner peace rather than the search for glory.
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