Running Wild (Malaysia Version) VCD

The plot follows two men, the down and out, violence-prone detective Jang (Kwon Sang Woo, Love so Divine) and Oh (Yoo Ji Tae, Old Boy), an officious prosecutor. Their fates become entwined when they try to take down gang boss turned politician Yu (played by Son Byung Ho, R-Point). In doing so, they find themselves battling not only the usual hordes of thugs, but the system itself, as Yu uses his wealth and connections to worm his way out of trouble, manipulating the law to his advantage and generally perverting the cause of justice. Eventually, it becomes clear that to take Yu down, Jang and Oh will have to get their hands dirty, which predictably results in tragedy and violence.

Right from the start, Kim makes it clear that Running Wild is a film with its glass half empty, introducing us to the protagonists during decidedly low ebbs of their lives, with Jang's mother on her deathbed and Oh's wife demanding a divorce. The fact that things pretty much go downhill from here for both men should give you a good idea of the film's tone, and Kim allows bitterness and cynicism into almost every aspect of Running Wild. The script contains a great deal of musing on the blind nature of justice, and the corruption so often inherent in the application of the law, though Kim never wallows in this, and actually uses the theme to good effect.

This single-minded bleakness does help the film to stand out from other similar efforts, and it manages to avoid falling into the overuse of cheap emotion or too many of the clichés of the buddy thriller genre. Strangely enough, Running Wild is frequently quite amusing, albeit in a dark fashion, with most of the laughs coming in its satirical take on politics. Yu makes for a menacingly amoral villain, though he is quite obviously a symbolic figure, making telling observations such as his likening of gang turf to political constituencies.

The film is certainly violent enough, and what it lacks in gunplay it more than makes up for with brutal beatings, many of which feature the ever-popular iron bar. The nihilistic nature of the film makes the violence seem even more vicious, especially towards the end when the bullets finally start to fly. Visually, Kim has clearly learned a few tricks from Park, and throws in a number of gimmicky techniques. Most of these, such as the split screen work, are quite effective, although he does tend to overplay the sudden zooms somewhat, quite obviously using them to wring a few extra drops of tortured emotion from the cast.

The only real problem with Running Wild, the film's basic lack of originality aside, is the fact that it is somewhat on the long side and could have used some trimming. The pace lags at times, and though no aspects of the multi-layered plot are actually unnecessary, the film does lose its way around the halfway mark. This said, the extended running time does allow for a good amount of character development, lending the film's dramatic elements more weight than might be expected, and giving the climax a nasty emotional punch.

The result is that while Running Wild may well disappoint viewers looking for slam-bang action or another Old Boy or A Bittersweet Life, it works very well as a decidedly cynical and dark police thriller. Though the drawn out plot requires patience, the ending is well worth the wait, and actually leaves the viewer wanting more long after the dust has settled and the blood has dried.

Movie Grade: 4/5

By James Mudge - BeyondHollywood.com

That desire, the greed to finally get what you want. To defeat your inner monsters, which create a monster out there to defeat, which drive you to become one yourself. For Jang Do Young (Kwon Sang Woo), that monster is happiness, which never seems to come, the search for some sort of answer driving his violent life as a detective. For prosecutor Oh Jin Woo, it's ultimate justice for those who deserve to be punished, those who always seem to find a way out through less than lawful means. For Yoo Gang Jin (Son Byung Ho), that ruthless monster is his own way of life, jumping from family to 'family', trusting nobody and not being able to trust anyone. But behind all those monsters is a common problem, that desire driving our instincts to the limit, even if we lose everything in the process. First time director Kim Sung Soo - not to be confused with the director of (Musa: The Warrior), for the last time - knows that desire all too well, as it engulfed him for years, without realizing the many things he was leaving behind.

Kim was, like many of today's directors in Chungmuro, one of those 'Hollywood Kids', drunk and obsessed with Cinema in ways only those facing the same problem (ahem...) can understand. He wanted to become a director so much, he kept the fact he enrolled into Film & Theater at the Seoul University of Arts secret for months. His short films in the mid 90s, (Hotel California) first and especially (Violent Film) and (Wounded Birds) won him acclaim and several awards, which jumpstarted his career in Chungmuro. His work as assistant director, lasting nearly a decade, saw him work in the commercial field, with the horrible 1995 Park Joong Hoon vehicle (A Man Wagging His Tail), Song Hae Sung's 1999 melodrama (Calla) and even the embarrassing film remake of the mid 90s TV classic (General Hospital), but also with Park Chan Wook (Three...Extremes). The motto back then for young Kim was success at all costs, your average workaholic. His obsession with films led him to pay very little attention at home, where his mother's health was getting worse, to the point he lost her shocked by this unexpected turn of events. Angry with himself and the world, it was there that characters like Oh Jin Woo and Jang Do Young were born, years before Running Wild even became a reality. That menage a trois of detective, prosecutor and gangster has populated Korean cinema for years, often becoming an excuse to develop issues around class divide. You have the rugged detective, his gun and stinky socks the only friends he's got; the prosecutor, holier than thou, high and mighty, with his by-the-book modus operandi. And finally Korean commercial Cinema's favorite scapegoat, those gangsters which become protagonists of everything from half-assed romances to silly comedies. The detective film in particular has become one of the safest bets for success in Chungmuro, as shown by the better than expected performances of films like Never To Lose, and sometimes make for top notch Cinema, like the Yang Dong Geun/Jung Jin Young buddy movie Wild Card. Running Wild, like many other films featuring gangsters, detectives and prosecutors, starts from the fundamentals. Jang Do Young only knows violence, swears like a machine and doesn't seem to have a good relationship with showers. He's, in short, like a slightly more pathetic version of Sul Kyung Gu's detective in Public Enemy. On the other hand, Oh Jin Woo is your usual 'words are my gun, justice my only partner' elite prosecutor, demoted because he tried to touch the sky. To make a comparison, he's a slightly holier than-thou, less down-to-earth version of (again) Sul Kyung-Gu in Another Public Enemy. Finally, Yoo Gang Jin is your model mob boss, one of those 'professional hoodlums' - with professional meaning businessman, a la Moon Sung Geun in Green Fish, with a tad less realism - ruthless with those who rain on his parade, but a considerate family man at home. At least that's what it seems.

But while this setup is made of, let's admit it, cliches, it's by focusing on the little details that led these characters into these situations that makes Running Wild interesting. Do Young's half brother is a failed gangster, his mother on the verge of dying from a chronic disease (a clear parallel with Director Kim's own situation, as noted by the tribute to his mother at the end of the film), his only relationship with a woman, Joo Hee (a wonderfully subtle Eom Ji Won), posing as a surrogate mother more than anything else. On the other hand, Oh Jin Woo seems to be so hell bent on doing well at work because there's something wrong at home, with the rift between him and his wife (Moon Jung Hee, who did so well in Dance with the Wind) deepening by the minute. Perhaps the most interesting situation is that of Yoo Gang Jin, the model boss who doesn't move a muscle while killing one of his poor victims. He rarely shows any emotion beyond a few grins of self-absorbed confidence, but almost looks scared once daddy's little girl shows she might know what's cooking away from home. He has immense power, but nobody he can trust. Even though people in high places do even worse things than him, all he is in the eyes of those politicians is a third rate gangster touching what's not his. Three different 'classes', three different beasts coming to terms with failure, drunk with something (violence, justice, power) enough to let it devour their entire lives.

Take Oh Jin Woo, based on the real life case of prosecutor Hong Kyung Young, who became a victim of the law he respected so much when a suspect died, after which he was brought to trial for inflicting violence on him. His obsession with doing things by the books crashes with reality, when he starts realizing the system and its puppet masters are untouchable, even for people like him. It might just be a silly coincidence, but I think Yoo Ji Tae's act of losing 10kg for the role is like a perfect metaphor for his losing of the 'baby fat' he carried around up to his excellent performances in Old Boy and Antarctic Journal. As good as he was there, it always felt like someone was orchestrating those changes from behind, both the directors (Park Chan Wook and Im Pil Sung) or the veteran, supremely-talented actors he worked with (Choi Min Sik and Song Kang Ho), taking him under their wing and creating chemistry and fire.

Yoo never felt on a par with his co-stars back then, he merely lived up to their standards and those required by the director. Ryu Seung Beom looked more than comfortable with Choi Min Sik in Crying Fist, just like Shin Ha Kyun and Bae Doo Na did with Song Kang Ho in Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance. Be it the opportunity to work with great directors (Hur Jin Ho, Park Chan Wook, Hong Sang Soo, Im Pil Sung) slowly forcing him to improve, or something clicking inside him creating a breakthrough, this is not the Yoo Ji Tae of Natural City. Hell, call it blasphemy, but it's not even the Yoo Ji Tae of Old Boy. He feels more confident, finally able to go past the surface and let all the fire come out. This is his best performance to date.

But of course the obstacle was someone else. Kwon Sang Woo and all the best body syndrome which tags along, and with his persona, star of embarrassing Korean Wave bait like Love, So Divine, Stairway To Heaven and Sad Sonata. Yes, his work in comedies had always been satisfactory, especially in My Tutor Friend and the 'New Age Wuxia Comedy' Volcano High. And of course Yoo Ha was the first to show the young star had immense potential, forcing it out of him in Once Upon a Time in High School. But it always felt like he could do much, much more. That he could drop his image a little and show a slightly more suffering side of his personality on screen. Kwon seemed to want the same, as he commented: "I envy those able to make transformations in their acting, and no matter how big a star they've become, people working for a decade carrying the same image irritate me (who would he possibly think about saying that. Yo... Yon... what's his name?). Personally I'm getting tired of doing the same thing, so I'm trying to change." That was the key, trying to change. Because you can't just drop everything with a film, and I'm not just talking about the benefits his previous image brought, both financial and in terms of popularity. Doing an erotic drama a la The Intimate at this point would have been career suicide, like playing a villain, not so much because people wouldn't want to see that, but because he hasn't gotten there yet, acting-wise. Obviously this doesn't mean Kwon will stop starring in safe star vehicles like Almost Love, seeing as that's what brought him success, unlike the failure this film experienced.

But Kwon shows something here we've never seen before, even in the days of Once Upon a Time in High School. There's moments when his limitations (pronunciation, tendency to go a little overboard with certain physical reactions) clearly show, but this is really the first time I felt Kwon as an actor portraying a character, not just Kwon Sang Woo the continental superstar. That's exactly what I asked and didn't get from Bae Yong Joon in April Snow, and why this is a new beginning for Kwon as a serious actor. During the few scenes when he's alone, thinking about his pathetic life; enjoying, for lack of better words, his last moments with his mother, or releasing all that pent up frustration when the inevitable happens, he finally shows that fire which was hidden inside. There are moments when that raw talent, which hid dormant behind safe star vehicles finally comes out, with impressive power. It felt, in some ways, like what Lee Byung Heon did in Kim Ji Woon's masterful A Bittersweet Life, coincidence or not another noir, getting past the limitations being a 'star' puts on actors, and letting all the energy come out.

So we're dealing with two 'best of their career' performances, but the real beasts (of acting, that is) are two others: Kim Yoon Seok, and especially Son Byung Ho. Both theater veterans, who spent their first few years in the industry with roles that would rarely stand out, not because their performance was lacking, but they used that 'CGI equation' (the less you notice it, the better) that showed their theater roots more than everything else. Kim Yoon Seok started making good impressions with comedies like To Catch a Virgin Ghost, with his fantastic supporting role in Rebirth finally giving a name to one of those 'faceless geniuses' populating so many Korean films and TV Dramas. In Son Byung Ho's case, it was a little different. He always made a name for himself even with the smallest of roles. From the ruthless boss in Failan to the gay musician in Song Il Gon's Flower Island, from the authority-addicted soldier in R-Point to the 'Andre Kim of gangsters' in Vampire Cop Ricky. I always liked him, always considered his work top notch, but he's simply incredible here. He doesn't move a single muscle when he's torturing his accomplices after a big mistake, but shows very subtle and striking fear once his facade risks crumbling under the weight of all those 'secrets'. Along with Kim Yoon Seok's usual subtlety, the two form a perfect duo, their scenes deserving a film of their own. So far, Son's is the best supporting performance of 2006, something I'm really not surprised about.

The interesting thing about Running Wild is how it forms a sort of narration through Jin Woo, who delivers the message, and it uses Do Young as its vehicle to show what that message will be about. In short, we're not trying to point fingers and find who that 'beast' of the [Korean] title is, because in a way all three are beasts. What Director Kim is trying to do instead is show what makes people like them into beasts, which at the end of the day is society. So we start with an action noir in mind, but the film turns into something completely different by the end. This is certainly a 'macho' film, but it doesn't use that to develop the story. The film, like some Hollywood films of the 70s, uses genre as a catapult to delve into politics and the dark sides of Korean society. Its characters and their situations have a touch of 80s Hong Kong noir to them, which director Kim grew up watching, and admits were what made him grow closer to people who failed. But the way those characters move, and how their story unfolds on screen is very different to your average John Woo film. It's closer in sensibility to a Michael Mann (the relationship between characters) or Sergio Leone (close-ups and emotional tone) film. Yes, if I had to describe Running Wild with a few examples, it'd be Mann and Leone shooting a HK Noir in Korea, with all the pop-socio-political consequences that come with it.

The film is far from perfect: although Kim shows impressive command of the medium, there's too much emphasis on flashy camerawork, excessive zooms in and out - be it because Eom Ji Won was in this, but sometimes it felt like Tale of Cinema in that sense - which is unnecessary given the powerful performances and impressive art direction driving the ball home. Also, although the bloody finale is very well staged and an emotional hitter, it really goes on for way too long. But the keys to this film's failure at the box office were both the rush-job the director was forced into, which ended with important scenes dealing mostly with character relationships being removed (although thankfully restored in the Director's Cut), but also the use of Kwon and Yoo's public personas, or its lack thereof. Of course that's a major strength of the film, but with today's cinema-going populace in Korea dominated by young women, offering a 'macho' film that dispensed of the two stars' personas didn't look appealing to viewers. But don't let that influence you. Running Wild has top notch acting, dialogue which feels meaningful and has delightful little nuances to enjoy, another magnificent score from Kawai Kenji, and very assured direction from first timer Kim Sung Soo.

Just like Nietzsche said, if you look long enough into the abyss, you fall into it. But Kim learned from his mistakes in life, and used those mistakes to make a very powerful, meaningful film debut. I don't know if that's enough not to fall into the abyss, but he just 'fell' into my list of directors to look out for in the future. So to use a (very important) line from the film, Director Kim: Fighting!

By X - Twitchfilm.net

Meanwhile, sticking to the strictest code of the law, prosecutor Oh Jin Woo (Yoo Ji Tae) has been tirelessly working toward bringing down Yoo and tying him to the murder of former Dokang family boss, Park. In doing so he's created a rift between himself and his wife. As leads dry up and the Guryong send suspects underground, Jang and Oh become increasingly frustrated. But when they cross paths, Oh realizes that Jang's fiery attitude might just be what he needs in order to see justice prevail once and for all. But in order for that to work, he might just have to break a few rules.

Having studied under the likes of directors Song Il Gon and Park Chan Wook, Kim Sung Soo makes his cinematic debut with Running Wild. Clearly he's learned something from his experience as an assistant director and producer of short films; furthermore he takes a leaf out of Kim Yu Jin's (Wild Card) book, as well as issuing a style that's visually comparable to Kim Ji Woon's A Bittersweet Life and Kang Wo Suk's Public Enemy. It isn't just this aspect that relates Running Wild to such productions; so too does it carry an air of familiarity in terms of plotting. From the story outline above, it's readily apparent that Running Wild is chock full of clichés that will ultimately give way to further clichés down the line, and while that most certainly rings true, Kim still manages to happily evade any serious pitfalls. Its most notable asset is its theme in which instinct takes us over during our most arduous times. In the case of Jang he becomes the thing that he hates the most.

Of course the most obvious element that ties Running Wild to half-a-dozen other cop thrillers from South Korea is that it deals with socially relevant issues, ones that are often addressed a little less than subtly when it comes to these genre types. In many ways, the topic of a screwed up judicial system in which criminals enlisted in underworld activities can get away with murder and bribery isn't new by any means, neither is the amount of underlying corruption from both good and bad sides of the law. And so Kim goes with the flow to capitalize on this growing debate, while not necessarily making any new statements in the process. He also does the obvious by pairing two mismatched guys who are worlds apart. One is young and headstrong and comes from a poor family, and in order to see that justice is served he must break a few rules. The other is a prim and proper prosecutor who does everything by the book, but takes his job so seriously that his wife files for divorce. That just about sums up the kind of social and political commentary you'll find here, as the director illustrates several differences between three distant classes - the third being the mob itself.

Despite this, and its length being just shy of two and a half hours, Running Wild is still an entertaining film, primarily because of its central performances. A virtually unrecognizable Kwon Sang Woo delivers one of his finest roles to date, while Yoo Ji Tae provides a solid turn, along with Son Byung Ho, returning in his second gangster role this year - and a vicious one at that - after the far poorer Vampire Cop Ricky. And yes, all of this does come with its fair share of melodrama and shouting, concerning juxtaposed family and working lifestyles, but you have to hand it to the cast, who raise the film above expectations and carry it with plenty of dignity.

Technically speaking Running Wild is accomplished enough, with some wonderful compositions that make full use of the 2.35:1 ratio, but director Kim proves that he's still very much in the middle of a learning process, resorting to trickery that might appear cool in his mind but only goes to dampen the dramatic effect that he's obviously seeking to create. Crash zooms are used multiple times, oddly enough whenever Jang threatens to kill someone, which I suppose means that we're being informed just how serious his intentions are. Kim tries to get away with just about every trick in the book and on some levels he succeeds; he's certainly got a lot of energy, but he needs to pull back the reigns from time to time and take stock of the situations at hand. Editing also manages to diffuse a couple of moments that would otherwise be far more entertaining. The film opens with a great chase sequence involving Jang pursuing a biker through a congested street, but there's so much cutting in-between that you'd think he gave it to Michael Bay to tinker with over one weekend - and Bay had probably been drinking too. This in turn hampers an impressive array of stunts and obvious driving skills. Fight sequences meanwhile, of which there are a few, are quite messy, but deliberately so as there's nothing particularly glamorous about their purpose.

DVD
KD Media has put out the director's edition on a limited 2-disc set. The case is fairly standard and comes with a glossy slip cover. Before you ask I have no idea what makes this different from the theatrical release and nor do I know which version we'll see should this get a European release, which I suspect it will. However, YesAsia.com are listing this as a limited edition set, so to avoid disappointment I would recommend hurrying up if you're interested in picking it up.

A/V
Aside from some edge enhancement, minor aliasing and high contrast levels - which do look a bit ropey during night scenes - we have a pretty good transfer, as displayed in its native 2.35:1 aspect ratio and enhanced for widescreen televisions. Detail is rich during close ups, whilst open shots exhibit a slight softness at times.

Two audio tracks are available: Korean DD2.0 and Korean 5.1 Surround. The latter makes good use of the soundstage, coming across as aggressive during some of the tense chase sequences, backed by Kawai Kenji's impressive score as he follows on from composing last year's Antarctic Journal. Dialogue is also well reared though it takes up most of the central and front channels.

Subtitles
Optional English subtitles are included and good lord they're a mess, perhaps the worst I've seen on a Korean DVD from recent memory. The entire track is riddled with grammatical errors, awful sentence structuring and lines of dialogue that just don't make sense. The middle portion of the film begins to even out a little, but then it gets back to being quite poor by the end. It's a functional stream and you can get the gist of what's going on, but I will place bets that there's no way this is an accurate translation. This kind of thing ruins the enjoyment somewhat and I'll be interested in seeing this film again as done by professionals in future.

Extras
Disc 1 contains an audio commentary including several participants, along with a short video after commentary.

Disc 2 opens with a two-and-a-half minute introduction by Kim Sung Soo. Pleasantly the menu contains English translations for each section. Starting with "Pre-Production" (6.26) the cast and crew members sit around a table and go though the script and storyboards; we also see audition footage from different actors and go on location scouting. "Characterizing" (7.00) is up next. Of course this is self explanatory but I'm not sure who the people discussing the characters are - possibly a casting director and a producer. "Making Of" (25.50) is a decent look behind the scenes, but it does feature a lot of interview footage, which breaks things up immensely for non-Korean speakers. What stuff we do see is interesting enough, from a few jokey moments to stunts being carried out. "Action Sequence" is quite lengthy at twenty five minutes. Consisting of five chapters it features production of the opening chase sequence, the golf range and car park fights, the rural field chase and the climactic showdown. "CG Making" (5.05) is very reminiscent of the feature that appeared on Bad Boys II. The director discusses the opening chase, which uses CG cars to enhance the scene, and it's done very discreetly. Kawai Kenji is interviewed for the "Original Score Making" (5.21), where we also take a look behind the scenes of recording. "Still Gallery" features a three minute moving selection of photos from the movie, while the second batch shows behind the scenes shots, accompanied by overlaying credits. "Deleted Scenes" includes three time-coded scenes that can be viewed with or without director commentary. "Poster" (7.01) is actually a look at the promo campaign shoot. "Preview" (6.00) is a special screening in which we see screaming fans and the actors get through a media frenzied showing of the film. There's also footage of the director and stars addressing the audience briefly. The theatrical trailer and a music video are standard inclusions, while the final piece, "Director's Short Film" is perhaps the most interesting extra in the set. I really wish I could comment on them, but there are no subtitles. It's a great shame because in the past I've found subtitled shorts on Korean DVDs. Here we get the 1995 Insert Coin, which is riddled with dirt and scratches and seems to contain several stories revolving around the same characters.

Overall
There's very little else to say in the end. Running Wild is a good film that sticks to a good pace, given that it's fairly lengthy, but there's very little substance to it, all in all. With that said, the performances are top notch and Kim shows a lot of promise, despite lacking a little discipline in certain areas. Surely a director to look out for in future - I believe his best is yet to come. As for the disc itself it's a great release except for the crucial thing, the subtitles, being pretty dreadful.

By Kevin Gilvear - DVD Times