Hey folks, Valkor here. And I welcome you to TOV's "30 in 30", where I'll review 30 unique film and maybe some not so unique, all in 30 days. What's cool for most of the flicks, is that I know nothing about em. So this should be a real treat not just for you guys, but for me as well. Good or bad, this is gonna be a fun month. It all starts today July the 4th and ends on Aug the 3rd. Can I make it through? We'll know soon enough!
Out of India, I take you to Korea where,for part 18, I introduce a film that kicks things off to the extreme and then fizzles flat towards the end. Check it out, it's korean film "The Truck" aka Teureok
The Truck is all about Cheol-Min, an everyman truck driver who works extensively to take care of his family, especially his daughter. One day she falls fatally ill and the only way she can be saved is by an operation – that'll cost Cheol-Min 65,000. Of course he doesn't have that kind of money, but a close friend and gambler tells him about the money he could make if he puts up his truck. However it all backfires as his friend and the other gamblers set him up to take a fall… and his truck, which was Cheol's only means of providing for his family. Things get worse for Cheol, when he witnesses the club's boss kill of some people, and in order for Cheol to get out of this one, he must use his truck in order to transport the bodies to a location where they could be dumped. And it doesn't get any better as along the way he runs into police checkpoints and a downed police car, where everyone was murdered save one officer, who tells him he was transporting a serial killer named Yeong – Ho, but the twist is that the officer is Yeong – Ho!!! *cue dramatic music* and now the direction of the story follows Cheol, who is being held prisoner by Yeong, who is making Cheol take him to the house of his psychiatrist. Why? What for? Will Cheol ever get the money to save his daughter?
I must say, Koreans really know how to tell a good yarn and this one is no exception, though there are a few hiccups, which I'll explain in a bit.
The Good:
The first half of the film when Cheol is making his way to dump the bodies; totally suspenseful, edge of your seat material. The actor, Yu Hae-Jin, who plays Cheol is spot on too good to be true. He's the homeliest lookin mofo on the planet but you feel his happiness, you feel his joys, and you just want him to get through this predicament he's gotten himself in, all in the name of saving his daughter. Jin Gu as Yeong is also devilishly clever and evil to no ends and it shines; you wanna kick him in the face for taking Cheol through this mess. Great first half, solid acting, what could possibly go wrong?
The Bad:
How about the entire second half, where the focus is no longer on Cheol, but switches to Yeong? If it had been like a small side story, I'd buy it but switching the focus takes away all the suspense the film was building up to. I don't give a rat's ass about Yeong, I want the movie to be about Cheol! This is sloppy writing pure and simple.
The Ugly:
N/A
I wanted to love "The Truck", I wanted to love it with a passion that I felt when I watched Old Boy; and quite frankly, everything in the first half had those same moments of edginess; too bad the second half and ending falls flat. Regardless, the Truck is worth at least one viewing just for the experience. And out of TOV 5 stars, I give the film a 2.5. Now I'm thinking, should I give my opinion on Old Boy… yes… yes I think I might.