Chronicles of Evil (DVD) (Korea Version) DVD Region 3

Son Hyun Ju plays Chief Choi, the film opening with him on the verge of securing a top promotion, his life perfectly ordered and controlled. After an evening of celebrating with colleagues Detective Oh (Ma Dong-seok, Kundo: Age of the Rampant) and young protégé Detective Cha Dong Jae (upcoming star Park Seo-joon, known for television series such as Kill Me, Heal Me and A Word from Warm Heart), he takes a taxi home, only to find himself being driven to a remote location before the driver attacks him, seemingly as part of an ordered hit. Choi kills his assailant before he can find out the truth, and flees the scene, removing all traces of his presence. The next morning, however, the body of the dead man is found hanging from a crane, with Choi himself being put on the high-profile case, his promotion riding on its success. Desperately trying to cover up his involvement, much to the suspicion of Cha, Choi thinks things are going his way, until a mysterious man (Choi Daniel, Traffickers) shows up at the police station and confesses to the crime.

Cat and mouse thrillers about shady cops getting caught in bad situations are common enough, Kim Seong-hun's acclaimed 2014 offering A Hard Day being the best and most recent example of the form. While basically following a similar path, Chronicles of Evil does differentiate itself through a slightly more psychological and character-driven route, Baek Woon-hak making an attempt to delve deeper rather than treating his cast as disposable chess pieces. This works quite well, with Choi making for an interesting protagonist, an interesting and conflicted mix of good intentions and morally flexible ruthlessness, enough so to make the viewer emotionally invested in his plight. Son Hyun-ju proves a great choice for the lead, wholly convincing as the much put-upon police chief, getting more unshaven, mangy and bloodshot as things progress and generally giving a great performance as a man gradually being pushed closer and closer to the edge.

Son anchors the film, something which proves crucial when it comes to Kim upping the tension by helping to keep the many plot twists grounded and believable. The film has a solid script, with some well-judged revelations and reversals, and Kim generally succeeds in putting the viewer into Choi's confused shoes, the central mystery and conspiracy being cleverly constructed and satisfying. There’s a lot packed into the fast-moving and commendably brief running time, and the film definitely wins points for avoiding the temptation to over-stuff or pad things out, something which has blighted many of its peers. Despite having been away for some twelve years, Kim still shows a deft touch when it comes to directing action scenes, and the film similarly receives a boost from some exciting set-pieces and injections of violence here and there.

Sadly, Chronicles of Evil isn't quite so successful when it comes to its themes, being rather a missed opportunity to really get to grips with the question of what makes a man good or evil. Though during the first act Kim sets things up for an intriguing voyage into some pretty searching moral and ethical territory, he never quite manages to follow up on this early promise, the film becoming more generic and more of a basic whodunit as it builds towards its conclusion. To be fair, Kim does manage to avoid presenting the viewer with any clear-cut heroes or villains, a commendable and fairly risky move for any commercial film, however it's hard not to feel that he could have, and indeed should have gone further and that there's something missing. The film's ending is fitting enough, though again it's a bit disappointing that it dips into more traditional melodrama, with lots of tears and howling rather than something more thoughtful or substantial.

Still, this doesn't stop Chronicles of Evil from being a slick and entertaining thriller, and while not quite up to the standard of A Hard Day, it's one of the better recent examples of the genre. It's certainly great to see Baek Woon-hak back behind the camera again, his absence having been far too long for a director of his talent, and hopefully audiences won't have to wait another decade for his next film.

by James Mudge - EasternKicks.com