Beat (VCD) (Hong Kong Version) VCD

The plot follows Min (superstar Jung Woo-sung, later in the likes of A Moment to Remember and Daisy), a drop out who finds himself unable to conform to the harsh pressure and physical abuse of high school life. Disgusted by his alcoholic mother and disillusioned by the future which awaits him, he quits studying for the college entrance exams, trying to make a go of things by opening a restaurant with his friend Whan (Lim Chang-jung who, went on to comic sidekick roles in the likes of Sex is Zero and My Boss, My Hero). Unfortunately, almost nothing seems to work out for the hot-tempered Min, and he finds himself gradually being absorbed into the criminal underworld with his friend Taesoo (Yu Oh-seong, also in the hits Friend and Champion), who is trying to carve out a career as a mob boss. Complicating matters further is Min's love for Romy (Ko So-young, who recently headlined Ahn Byeong-ki's Apartment, an equally unstable young girl who cracks under the pressure of trying to get into college and threatens to go off the rails herself.

Beat is far more than a simple criminal life biopic, with Kim ambitiously combining action, drama, romance and tragedy in a semi-epic tale of wasted lives that follows the characters from their reckless youths to fruitless adulthoods. As should be pretty obvious, there is very little to smile about in the film, and the tone is nihilistic throughout, and as such it acts almost as a violent elegy for modern Korean society, steadfastly refusing to offer any hope for the future. This having been said, although the film does occasionally lurch into soap-opera territory, particularly through Min's somewhat unconvincing romance with Romy, it generally steers clear of too much melodrama, with the friendship and brotherhood of the male characters never being allowed to dominate. Kim works in a good number of subplots, which help to flesh out the story in a way which helps the film to transcend its essentially predictable narrative journey.

The characters themselves play a large part in the film's success, being unconventional and believable, something which adds a welcome layer of emotional depth. Min himself makes for an interesting protagonist, a sympathetic figure who is by no means a traditional hero, or indeed even a particularly good person, possessing a near-psychotic temper and a tendency to think with his fists. The supporting characters are drawn in similar shades of grey, with Kim passing a non-judgmental eye over their actions and choices, portraying them very much as a product of their time. Through this, he provides a deeply cynical view of modern Korean society, itself a mix of traditional and Westernised ideas, and the often unbearable pressure it puts on young people from an early age. This pressure is clearly seen on screen, and the film has a growing air of tension and barely controlled violence, which makes Min's frequent eruptions all too understandable.

There is a good amount of action, with plenty of brutal fight scenes and stabbings, which helps to keep things interesting. Kim directs almost in the manner of Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-wai, drenching the dark streets in neon and using a variety of technical tricks. Although he overplays his hand at times, particularly in the use of slow-motion, which detracts from the impact of several scenes, his style is thankfully more lively than Wong's, and the film is fast moving and kinetic despite its long running time.

As a result, Beat stands out as a strong early example of the Korean genre and deserves a place alongside later, higher profile films such as Friend. Although the same plot has been employed many times since, it has rarely been used with the same palpable sense of anger and pent up frustration, or indeed with such heart as it is here.

by James Mudge - BeyondHollywood.com