31
96
7
The Butterfly
This review may contain spoilers
No honor among thieves or kidnappers
Hostage: Missing Celebrity attempted to be an edgy kidnapping story using Hwang Jung Min to play himself as the victim. With uneven casting and an otherwise formulaic story it over relied on its star to create an intriguing film.
Hwang Jung Min played himself in the film which was a rather odd meta-angle. While his actual movies were mentioned, the character was clearly fictional. Hwang is shown as being humble, good to his employee, and shops just like the little people do at a convenience store. Upon leaving the store he finds three hooligans sitting on his expensive car and that is where his troubles begin. When he awakens tied to a chair, Hwang realizes that the kidnappers have not covered their faces which means they likely plan to kill him and another kidnap victim after they receive the ransoms. He puts his movie experience playing characters in precarious situations into action. Before long, the kidnappers come to understand that snatching someone famous puts more pressure on the police to find the missing movie star quickly and the countdown is sped up.
Hwang gave a superb performance as a wealthy actor who lived a comfortable life suddenly being thrust into a dire situation. He portrayed a wide range of emotions as the kidnappers delighted in physically and emotionally tormenting him. He also showed the character’s frustration and resiliency when he tried to escape and when those efforts failed, used the age-old ploy of turning the kidnappers against each other. Ban So Yeon played a young woman whose life was in the balance due to her kidnapped boss being brutally murdered and dismembered after failing to come up with their ransom. She gave Hwang an ally and someone to protect as well. The actress didn’t have much to do but look scared and stick close to Hwang. When using a familiar story formula, a captivating villain is a must. Unfortunately, Kim Jae Beom as the lead villain gave a rather lackluster performance as the murderous psychopath capable of almost anything. Ryu Kyung Soo and Lee Ho Jung weren’t afraid to chew on the scenery in their roles as villainous lovers. The police officers as well as the other villains were largely forgettable.
Though the running time was only 90 minutes it seemed longer as the story became redundant especially near the end. Most of the time those faults were often overcome by Hwang’s onscreen charisma and the rapid pace of the action. The film would have been greatly strengthened had Hwang been given an equally engaging actor to spar with. If the kidnappers had been driven to their cruelty by pertinent and timely social issues it would have added depth to the story, too. They were for the most part thinly drawn psychopaths who worked together in targeting expensive car owners. Hostage: Missing Celebrity for the most part was an entertaining if flawed movie that relied too heavily on its star to conceal the missing thriller aspect of this thriller.
11/23/23
Hwang Jung Min played himself in the film which was a rather odd meta-angle. While his actual movies were mentioned, the character was clearly fictional. Hwang is shown as being humble, good to his employee, and shops just like the little people do at a convenience store. Upon leaving the store he finds three hooligans sitting on his expensive car and that is where his troubles begin. When he awakens tied to a chair, Hwang realizes that the kidnappers have not covered their faces which means they likely plan to kill him and another kidnap victim after they receive the ransoms. He puts his movie experience playing characters in precarious situations into action. Before long, the kidnappers come to understand that snatching someone famous puts more pressure on the police to find the missing movie star quickly and the countdown is sped up.
Hwang gave a superb performance as a wealthy actor who lived a comfortable life suddenly being thrust into a dire situation. He portrayed a wide range of emotions as the kidnappers delighted in physically and emotionally tormenting him. He also showed the character’s frustration and resiliency when he tried to escape and when those efforts failed, used the age-old ploy of turning the kidnappers against each other. Ban So Yeon played a young woman whose life was in the balance due to her kidnapped boss being brutally murdered and dismembered after failing to come up with their ransom. She gave Hwang an ally and someone to protect as well. The actress didn’t have much to do but look scared and stick close to Hwang. When using a familiar story formula, a captivating villain is a must. Unfortunately, Kim Jae Beom as the lead villain gave a rather lackluster performance as the murderous psychopath capable of almost anything. Ryu Kyung Soo and Lee Ho Jung weren’t afraid to chew on the scenery in their roles as villainous lovers. The police officers as well as the other villains were largely forgettable.
Though the running time was only 90 minutes it seemed longer as the story became redundant especially near the end. Most of the time those faults were often overcome by Hwang’s onscreen charisma and the rapid pace of the action. The film would have been greatly strengthened had Hwang been given an equally engaging actor to spar with. If the kidnappers had been driven to their cruelty by pertinent and timely social issues it would have added depth to the story, too. They were for the most part thinly drawn psychopaths who worked together in targeting expensive car owners. Hostage: Missing Celebrity for the most part was an entertaining if flawed movie that relied too heavily on its star to conceal the missing thriller aspect of this thriller.
11/23/23
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