Bag Guys Always Die; or, Vacation Gone Wrong
Why were you so cuddle with this little Korean chick?
Tired of working? Longing to unwind a bit and spend a good
time with your childhood friends? No problem. Just invite them over and
organize a trip. Oh wait! There’s a crashed car by the side of the road. No
problem. Let’s take the injured girl to a hospital. Heck! She just shot a
police officer…
Release Info
Directed by: Sun Hao Starring: Son Ye-jin, Chen Bolin, Shin
Hyun-joon, Qiao Zhenyu
Language: Korean, Mandarin Original Title: 坏蛋必须死 Runtime: 103 min
Plot
Qiangzi (Chen Bolin) is a teacher who is currently working
in Busan. After falling out with a student, he decides to spend some time off
in the company of his brother Pa-pa (Yang Xuwen) and two other friends, Datou
(Ding Wenbo) and San’er (Qiao Zhenyu). When the four set out for a tour of Jeju
Island, they spot a car which hit a tree branch. They decide to take the unconscious
survivor to the nearest hospital, but when Ji-yeon (played by the great Son
Ye-jin) regains consciousness, all hell breaks loose. The four friends find
themselves chased not only by the police but also a serial killer. Apart from
this, Ji-yeon is searching for a mysterious password that will help her save a
kidnapped relative.
Four friends, a dangerous woman, and one mean killer
To be honest, I was in the mood for an Asian flick and the
trailer for this film seemed interesting. Mostly a comedy but with an undertone
of mystery. Well, it was not just a comedy and not just a crime movie. Bad Guys
Always Die falls somewhere in between of these two genres but it not distasteful
with its content.
In worst-case scenario, you may find this movie bland. As
for me, I was engaged throughout the majority of the picture. The light tone at
the very beginning and the whole chunk of the story involving Son Ye-jin’s
character combined with very well executed shots of locations at Jeju Island
are the definite assets of this film. What falls short is the underdeveloped
relationship between the main characters since we mainly see them driving or
running around, thus constantly passing each other in the process, until Ji-yeon’s
big mystery is revealed (spoilers). From this point on, all of the third act
becomes predictable, nevertheless, it is entertaining.
The most troublesome seems the character of the killer (Shin
Hyun-joon), because at first he seems to be there as a comic relief (great
scene at the hotel!), but then he transforms into a merciless maniac (when
torturing Ji-yeon), hence the movie shifts its tone from comedic to suspense
and then to comedic again. Yet, the comic relief is indeed provided through the
characters of San’er, Datou, and an absent-minded cop (Jang Wang) who is after
them. Thankfully, the movie does not even attempt to verge on the territory of
over-the-top toilet humour and mainly sticks to conversational jokes.
Of performances, Son Ye-jin deserves a praise. Whether it is
a disaster flick (The Tower (2012)), a romantic comedy (Art of Seduction (2005)),
or a historical drama (The Last Princess (2016)) she always does an excellent
job. Chen Bolin as the male lead seems just enough believable, but then again,
the character development in this film leaves much to be desired. Qiao Zhenyu and
Ding Wenbo are great as the two friends on the run and I would really like to see
a separate movie about these two travelling together.
Recommendations
In case if you have nothing better to do and nothing better
to watch apart from TV trash, then Bad Guys Always Die is a good choice. It is
not anything exceptional, but it is not terrible either. I do not regret giving
it a go. All in all, a pleasantly spent 100 minutes. Makes me want to book a
ticket to Jeju Island right now.
Overall score: 7/10
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