Geukhanjikeob

This unnecessarily long delayed affair is in the end a very entertaining film with a perfect idea. A police unit rents a chicken restaurant to eavesdrop on drug dealers, but trouble arises when the restaurant becomes an unexpected hit and one of the most visited places. The cops are likable and the main villain and his female bodyguard, who reigns supreme in the action scenes, are perfect. The humour works, it has pace, great actors and a typically Korean action finale. Very good. 80%. (2019.10.15)

It's probably already clear to anyone with any insight into Korean humor that there's nothing that entertains Koreans more than a bunch of bumbling policemen. Then all it takes is even the simplest case and big things can happen. And that's what this team has managed to do, because one does not simply build a plot this ingenious. The idea alone makes it worth seeing. The performances are unusually balanced, nobody stands out too much, everybody tugs on the same rope with about the same strength, and you can tell from the story. I enjoyed the film and it's certainly possible I'll watch it again sometime, but still, after a recommendation directly from my Korean friends and its unprecedented box office performance, I was expecting an even bigger hit. 4 stars. (2019.08.11)