Coin Locker Girl (DVD) (Korea Version) DVD Region 3

Kim Go-eun stars as Il Young, abandoned in a station coin locker as a newborn baby, before being saved and raised by beggars on the streets and sold by a corrupt cop to a Chinatown gang led by the ruthless Mother (Kim Hye-su). Now aged 18, Il Young has been trained as Mother's protégé, helping run the loan sharking and organ trafficking business with a viciousness that matches her mentor's, being next in line for the crime throne. Everything changes when she is assigned to collect money from Seok Hyun (Park Bo-gum), a young cook whose father is heavily in debt, and who opens her eyes through a few simple acts of kindness. After his father flees, Mother orders Il Young to kill Seok Hyun, pushing her to make a decision that leads to tragedy and violence.

Although its plot may sound suspiciously like an excuse for melodrama or teen-themed angst, Coin Locker Girl is a hard-edged and hardcore crime drama that resolutely refuses to pull its punches. Showing a cutthroat mean streak when it comes to character deaths, although its descent into bleakness is never in doubt there are plenty of shocks and surprises along the way, making it tense and keeping the viewer gripped. Even the few moments of happiness and hope scattered throughout are short-lived or come with a bitter aftertaste, and given the themes of organ trafficking and loan sharking, it does make for tough going in places.

At the same time though, Han Jung-hee does a fantastic job of never letting the film slide into mere miserabilism, never losing sight of the human story at its centre, and keeping his characters believable and interesting – despite their consistently unpleasant behaviour, almost all show hints of vulnerability and conflict. The changing relationship between Il Young and Mother is an intriguing and multi-layered one, driving the film and providing it with some genuine and unexpectedly emotional scenes that really hit home. Both Kim Go-eun and Kim Hye-su, who was deservedly named Best Actress by the Korean Association of Film Critics for her performance, are on excellent form, making their antagonists engaging and sympathetic. The supporting cast all also do well, and Han goes to some lengths to flesh each of the gang members out to an impressive degree, giving the script an uncommon depth.

Needless to say, Coin Locker Girl is a very violent film, with lots of beatings, stabbings and bloody scenes during its fast moving running time, given all the more impact by the fact that the viewer actually cares about the characters. Han also throws in some well-choreographed action and chase sequences, underlined by a nicely judged soundtrack that helps the film to skilfully switch between kinetic thrills and atmospheric suspense. Although grim and taking place predominantly in seedy locations, it's a visually appealing film, Chinatown being brought to lurid life through some old school Hong Kong style neon lighting, Han making it stylish in a way which fits its themes perfectly.

A fine and rare mix of indie and commercial sensibilities, Coin Locker Girl is definitely one of the better Korean films of the last year. Benefitting from two superb lead performances and a substantial script, it marks a great debut for Han Jung-hee, promising great things to come as both writer and director.

by James Mudge - EasternKicks.com