Derailed (2016) (DVD) (Taiwan Version) DVD Region 3

Min Ho plays Jin-Il, a teenager living on the streets with his friends and his girlfriend Ga-young (up and coming actress Jung Da-eun, a member of K-pop group 2EYES), stealing and committing petty crimes to get by. When their money starts to run low, Ga-young decides to try a prostitution scam, though unfortunately her intended victim, karaoke bar owner Hyung-seok (Ma Dong-seok), sees through her tricks and a fracas ensues which results in Jin-Il stealing his car. After he and Ga-young get caught, to pay back the debt and its monstrous interest rates, Hyung-seok forces her to work in his bar, dangling the threat of prostitution in front of her. Jin-Il starts trying desperately to raise the money to buy her freedom, though matters become more complicated when Sung-hoon (Kim Jae-Young, known for his roles in television series like My Secret Romance and The Master of Revenge), a shady figure from their past, is released from jail and comes after them looking for revenge.

Derailed is yet more proof of the influence Kim Ki-duk has had on the Korean independent film scene and on the country’s young directors in general, as it very clearly bears his mark throughout, Lee Seong-tae taking a very dim view of Korea and of human nature indeed. As with most of Kim's films, Derailed serves up a picture of a society made up of predators and prey, with everyone driven by self-interest and their baser instincts, love proving a destructive rather than life-affirming force, and with kindness only being rewarded with pain and loss. Lee certainly hammers this home, the film playing out like a comedy of errors without the comedy, the situations of his characters rapidly worsening despite their best or worst efforts, and with any kind of catharsis only being achieved through violence and suffering.

As is usually the case with this kind of film, the script is determinedly non-judgemental, all of its characters being flawed, compromised and subject to poor decision making, and the drama taking place against a very grey moral backdrop. The two main players, Jin-Il and Hyung-seok, are both basically decent men, deep down at least, trying to protect the people they love, though are hopelessly trapped by dire circumstances, chiefly down to the financial woes that come with existing on the fringes of society. At the same time, though money plays a large role in this, the two are complicit in being part of the system, Jin-Il believing that cash is all he needs to solve his problems with the troubled Ga-young, and Hyung-seok using it to try and keep his neurotic wife and his daughter happy, clearly brushing more serious issues under the carpet. Only the villainous Sung-hoon is relatively straightforward, being a rich kid gone psychotically bad, and after he makes his entrance he fairly charges through the film like a bull in a china shop, causing chaos and generally bringing out the worst in everyone else.

Of course, films like Derailed can't succeed merely by being grim, and thankfully Lee turns out to be an accomplished storyteller and director, paying equal attention to his characters, narrative and themes. Although the story is perhaps a little contrived, it's well-constructed and hurtles along at a breathless pace, the film winning points for its economic hour and a half running time, which leaves little room for filler or the usual teary last-act melodrama. Helping maintain the intensity is the fact that it's a very violent and hard-edged affair, with countless scenes of bloody beatings, baseball bat whippings and stabbings, and it's hard not to wince as the characters become increasingly bruised and broken. Lee handles the fight and chase scenes well, and though the film was clearly made on a low budget, the production values are very much above average for a Korean indie, showing atmospheric use of filthy back alleyways, seedy motels and karaoke bars. Crucially, Lee also gets great performances from his cast, and though it's perhaps not surprising that Ma Dong-seok is impressive as the conflicted Hyung-seok, Min Ho’s turn is certainly a milestone in his fledging career as an actor, making Jin-Il sympathetic and easy to root for, or at least to feel sorry for.

Derailed reportedly faced a real challenge in finding funding, and it's easy enough to see why, as it's a resolutely bleak and depressing indie which likely won't find favour with general audiences looking for traditional entertainment or popcorn drama. While not as accomplished or managing the same level of cavalier nihilism as the early films of Kim Ki-duk, the film is nevertheless a powerful and hard-hitting debut from Lee Seong-tae both as writer and director, and bodes well for his future.

by James Mudge - EasternKicks.com