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Chronicles Of Evil Review

Chronicles Of EvilDirector: Baek Woon Hak

Cast: Son Hyeon Ju, Ma Dong Seok, Daniel Choi, Park Seo Joon.

Running Time: 107 minutes

Synopsis: Up for promotion, Chief Detective Choi (Son) is told to keep his nose clean. All goes awry when he ends up killing a man in self defense. Deciding to cover up the murder, the body soon appears on a crane above the city of Seoul. Choi finds himself in a game of cat and mouse with a witness to his crime.

Often credited with helping to create the blockbusting Korean film industry due to his writing of the script for the celebrated SHIRI, Baek Woon Hak here gives us his second feature as a director, after 2003’s entertaining but unfulfilling TUBE. It’s interesting then that CHRONICLES OF EVIL is not only unoriginal in its premise, but comes hot on the heels of last year’s brilliant A HARD DAY. The initial premise is almost exactly the same, but that’s not to say that the film doesn’t find its own voice.

First of all, A HARD DAY was a mixture of dark comedy and brilliantly over the top action sequences. CHRONICLES OF EVIL is slightly more grounded, more serious, and is more interested in the mystery behind the events and the uncovering of plot twists. It’s almost as if two directors were given the same set-up and just ran with it, giving us two very good films. Once past the opening, you soon forget just how close the two films are, which is a compliment to the tight screenplay on offer here, that allows us to forget such a recent film.

Son plays the hard done by protagonist who just keeps on making the wrong decisions. Like all great thrillers of this type, we see how every decision results in more blood shed and more corruption on his behalf. Choi is never unlikable though, and Son gives the part great empathy without completely exonerating him of his acts.

Baek’s script is a magnificently plotted thriller, as the twists come at a decent pace throughout the film. We’re never kept clueless about certain events for too long, nor are we forced to remain confused until a final dump of exposition. Many films try and keep their audience in the dark for far too long, but CHRONICLES OF EVIL knows to give us bits and pieces so as to satisfy our hunger without making us full. The twists are also in keeping in tone with the film, and are never introduced for shock value. Each twist changes how you look at the complete story and the characters, meaning your reading of the film fluctuates gradually, rather than having your initial thoughts smashed into tiny bits.

Shot in a way that brings the suffocating city life aspects to full attention, the sense of paranoia runs throughout the running time, while also dealing with some complex themes and ideas. Just how far should one go to protect themselves, and is it a case of “in for a penny”? The actions are understandable, and we hate to be confronted with ways we ourselves might act. Meanwhile, the antagonists methods and motives are just as understandable. Like many South Korean cop thrillers before it, corruption and lies are a strong focus of the film, but CHRONICLES OF EVIL is sure to reflect the police departments as a separate entity from individual police officers.

Despite following in the footsteps of a very impressive feature from the same country of origin, CHRONICLES OF EVIL will delight fans of thrillers, cops and villains cat and mouse chases, paranoid suspense fests, and South Korean films as a whole. Memorable moments abound, and twists are hard to identify without surfacing from out the blue. Best of all, you’ll be left thinking and appropriately emotionally drained.

CHRONICLES OF EVIL is released in cinemas across the US from 22nd May.

Luke likes many things, films and penguins being among them. He's loved films since the age of 9, when STARGATE and BATMAN FOREVER changed the landscape of modern cinema as we know it. His love of film extends to all aspects of his life, with trips abroad being planned around film locations and only buying products featured in Will Smith movies. His favourite films include SEVEN SAMURAI, PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, IN BRUGES, LONE STAR, GODZILLA, and a thousand others.

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