1
IamMrsMFer
Canada
Not a great movie, but I'm easy to win over with a badass female lead and a damn good fight scene.
If you liked My Name, you'll probably like Kill Bok Soon. It has a lot of the same focus on a hard-boiled female protagonist with lots of good fight scenes. Kill Bok Soon is *slightly* more realistic (her boyfriend isn't some 10/10 stud, and she never fights dozens and dozens of trained killers at once). I also think the fight scenes are a little more intentionally crafted and fun to watch.
Ultimately, Kill Bok Soon presents a unique, action-packed exploration of a dual life—a seemingly everyday single mother, Gil Bok Soon, who concurrently leads an extraordinary existence as a ruthlessly efficient contract killer.
The protagonist's relationship with her handler, Cha Min Kyu, unfolds into a dangerous dance of mutual respect and underlying tension, which becomes the driver of conflict in the narrative. The emotional core, meanwhile, revolves around her relationship with her daughter. However, despite an engaging premise, the narrative falls short on providing the necessary depth to the characters' interpersonal relationships, possibly owing to the confined duration of the film format as opposed to longer-running dramas.
The film's highlight, for me, lies in its gripping fight sequences. The choreography is immaculate, and maintains a balance between gritty noir aesthetics and compelling action.
Jeon Do-yeon brings an intensity to Bok Soon's character while shifting comfortably between playing a loving mother but also navigating the film's darker corners. It's a performance that arguably surpasses her previous roles, and I'd love to see her in similar future roles (I loved her in Lost, but not so much in Crash Course in Romance).
Esom also adds a notable spark to the film but is perenially underutilized in the industry, suggesting an untapped potential for more prominent roles (I'd love to see her in a Korean remake of Lady Snowblood!!!).
Ultimately, Kill Bok Soon is an engaging, though somewhat rushed, noir action-drama. The conclusion definitely leaves a yearning for a more polished resolution... hinting at a possible sequel?
Ultimately, Kill Bok Soon presents a unique, action-packed exploration of a dual life—a seemingly everyday single mother, Gil Bok Soon, who concurrently leads an extraordinary existence as a ruthlessly efficient contract killer.
The protagonist's relationship with her handler, Cha Min Kyu, unfolds into a dangerous dance of mutual respect and underlying tension, which becomes the driver of conflict in the narrative. The emotional core, meanwhile, revolves around her relationship with her daughter. However, despite an engaging premise, the narrative falls short on providing the necessary depth to the characters' interpersonal relationships, possibly owing to the confined duration of the film format as opposed to longer-running dramas.
The film's highlight, for me, lies in its gripping fight sequences. The choreography is immaculate, and maintains a balance between gritty noir aesthetics and compelling action.
Jeon Do-yeon brings an intensity to Bok Soon's character while shifting comfortably between playing a loving mother but also navigating the film's darker corners. It's a performance that arguably surpasses her previous roles, and I'd love to see her in similar future roles (I loved her in Lost, but not so much in Crash Course in Romance).
Esom also adds a notable spark to the film but is perenially underutilized in the industry, suggesting an untapped potential for more prominent roles (I'd love to see her in a Korean remake of Lady Snowblood!!!).
Ultimately, Kill Bok Soon is an engaging, though somewhat rushed, noir action-drama. The conclusion definitely leaves a yearning for a more polished resolution... hinting at a possible sequel?
Was this review helpful to you?
