31 Aug 2006

Running Wild

Original Title: Yasu

Director: Kim Sung-su

Language: Korean with English subtitles

Starring: Kwon Sang-Woo, Yoo Ji-Tae, Son Byung-Ho

Screening: 2006-04-04

Kwon Sang-woo made scores of gay men swoon when he dropped his
shirt and pants in My Tutor Friend. Meanwhile, Yu Ji-tae
also made many queers notice him when he bared his hairless bubble-butt
in a shower scene in Old Boy. These two sexy studs are
among the biggest names in South Korea and can certainly turn up
in the heat in this stylish thriller.


In a departure from their usual romantic heart-throb roles, Kwon
plays a hot-headed cop prone to breaking all the rules, while Yu
plays a cool-headed prosecutor who respects the letter of the law.
(The odd coupling of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal
Weapon
movies comes to mind.) The two team up to expose the
nefarious activities of crime boss Son Byung-ho.


Son, however, has connections with top politicians, making it hard
for our boys to bring him down. Kwon and Yu are forced to do whatever
it takes to prove his guilt. They come to realize that the only
way to fight ruthlessness is by being ruthless themselves. Hence
the title Running Wild. Or the original title Yasu,
which means Beast.


Director Kim Sung-su dutifully supplies all that pistol-packing,
snap-crackling action that we expect from action films. He also
gives us a dark and nihilistic ending that we did not expect. A
must-watch for Kwon's fans.