Review: A Company Man.

A Company Man is a drama thriller directed by Im Sang-yoon and stars So Ji-sub, Lee Mi-yeon, Kwak Do-won, and Kim Dong-jun.

The film revolves around Ji Hyeong-do (So Ji-sub), a disenchanted assassin who falls in love with the single mother of his partner (played by Lee Mi-yeon and Kim Dong-jun respectively) and is hunted by his former employers after he resigns.

Quick disclaimer: much like Choi Jae-hoon's The Swordsman, the actual resigning doesn't happen until the final 30 minutes of the film, so don't be going into this one expecting a John Wick level action film.

And while yes, A Company Man is an action film at the end of the day, it relies on his multi-genre plot more than it does the action. It's kinda like a John Woo film, it shows off a little taste of the incredible action in the beginning before turning into a slow burn drama about love and tragedy.

For nearly 90% of the film, it's story and plot, they only have a small handful of fight scenes throughout it. And I have to commend the film for that, unlike many action films (especially for the late 2000's - early 2010's) it isn't jam packed with action that ends up watering down the plot and leaves little room for story and character development.

It's an actually pretty investing love story, for me at least. The film spends most of it's runtime exploring the growing relationship between Ji Hyeong-do and Yoo Mi-yeon. Especially with the added details of her being a (obscure and retired) singer he listened to when he was younger.

That aspect was actually a surprise to me, I figured it was gonna be another generic film about yet another retired/retiring assassin who is roped back in by the crime world (seriously it's like, every assassin film ever made), and it almost was but the love story added a level of uniqueness I really liked.

I really enjoyed Ji Hyeong-do way more than I thought I would, I expected him to be another detached and depressed assassin-turned-hero, and he kinda was, but he was so much better than say...Jang Hyuk in The Killer.

On the surface they're very similar, Ji Hyeong-do and Bang Ui-gang are both depressed assassins who yearn for a normal life. And while Bang Ui-gang is more video gamey and full of "I don't really care", he's just like that because he's kinda bland. And I hate saying that about a character I really enjoyed, but he is.

And on the other hand, Ji Hyeong-do has wayyyy more personality than Bang Ui-gang does. While subtle, he portrays his personality a little more gradually as the film goes on through his actions, his mannerisms, his way of talking, all show pretty decent character growth.

They have this mini montage where they show the differences between Ji Hyeong-do's youth and his present where he was so much more happy, the world was way more vibrant back then compared to his dull life now where he's sucked his whole life in his work. It's, in my opinion, one of the best scenes in the film.

But where the real acting shines is Kwak Do-won's performance as Kwon, the evil boss man. This guy pissed me OFF the entire time he was on screen. He was so smug and arrogant and it only made me root for him to get killed the more I'd seen him. Full praise to Kwak Do-won's performance.

I love the cinematography in A Company Man, I don't know they did it, but this is some of the best I've seen so far. Despite the film being very desaturated and even straight up gray at times, it still balances both that and the vibrant colors that lead to a kinda unique look to the film.

It also doesn't rely on shaky cameras and a load of cuts, it's a mostly still camera throughout even the most intense action scenes in the film, and it's not just the action in it either, most of the film is shot like this and I love that. I truly do not like it when film's are shot in such a nauseating or cut-filled way, it really dampens the experience for me honestly.

The action, unfortunately, isn't all that notable. Like the rest of the film, it feels very John Woo-ish, it's very heavily carried by the final 10-15 minutes. And I gotta say, it's worth it. I won't describe it because I'm not good at it, but it's a good scene. Trust me.

My only real gripe with the film is the police, they have a couple police scenes and characters in the film, but really they're just a mcguffin. They fade out extremely fast as the film progresses and I wish they did just a little more with them.

While A Company Man is ultimately a metaphor for slaving away at your job and revolving your whole life around it, it's a pretty good movie too and it sucks Im Sang-yoon never returned to make another film. I recommend it if you want a neo John Woo drama thriller, but don't go into it expecting it to be the next A Better Tomorrow or anything similar.

That's all for now, Love and Peace!