Private Eye (2009)
Sort review By James Mudge: “Private Eye” offers a twist on the recent trend of modern noir detective stories by adopting a period setting, making for a change from the usual tortured cops, car chases and neon alleyways. The film marks the debut outing for Korean director Park Dae Min, and was a high profile production, boasting an impressive cast including the award winning Hwang Jung Min (“A Man Who Was Superman”), young rising star Ryu Deok Hwan (who recently impressed as a murderer in “Our Town”) and popular actress Uhm Ji Won (also in the excellent horror opus “Epitaph”).
The film is set in Seoul in 1910, and begins as a young medical student called Kwang Su (Ryu Deok Hwan) discovers a corpse in the woods, and decides to take it home to use for anatomy practice. Unfortunately for him, the body turns out to be that of the missing son of a politician, who will stop at nothing to have him found. Understandably fearful of being accused of the killing, Kwang Su hires private detective Jin Ho (Hwang Jung Min) to track down the real murderer. Jin Ho takes on the case, which is a step up from his usual work tracking down cheating wives, though matters rapidly become more complicated as further bodies turns up and it becomes clear that there is a deadly conspiracy afoot.
The central mystery of “Private Eye” is an engaging one, essential for this type of film, and though it progresses via a series of well-timed revelations rather than thanks to any real detective work on Jin Ho’s part, it manages to keep the viewer interested. There are a number of twists and turns, some of which are predictable and a few of which are pleasingly left-field, and Park does a good job of switching the focus from the question of ‘who’ to the more important ‘why’ as the film progresses from simple murder mystery to sinister conspiracy. Although fairly typical for this type of film, Jin Ho makes for a good protagonist, mainly since whilst Park allows him enough room to be roguish and slightly comical, he is basically played straight rather than for laughs. Hwang Jung Min does manage to convey a vague sense of moral conflict, or at least of unfulfilled ambitions, which proves essential during the latter stages when things turn more serious. The film does build gradually from light hearted shenanigans and the photographing of infidelity to something much darker, and by the time all the cards are on the table it does venture into some pretty harsh territory and grim subject matter. Ryu Deok Hwan is also on good form, managing to avoid coming across as too much of a green youngster, though unfortunately Uhm Ji Won is rather wasted in a pointless role as Jin Ho’s distant possible love interest, who does at least have the honour of providing him with some fairly useful gadgets.
Although the film has a familiar premise – a cocky though brilliant sleuth, his young sidekick, his somewhat detached relationship with a mysterious woman, and his problems with authority figures – the period setting does give it rather a different feel. Director Park’s style a mix of polish and grit, which works well to ground the film whilst allowing for some handsome production values and impressive visuals. He shows a keen eye for detail, bringing the historical setting to life without being overly ornate, making good use of both urban and rural settings. The film certainly benefits from being more grounded and realistic than other similarly set efforts, and it makes for atmospheric and involving viewing. Park helps to keep things moving along at a good pace by throwing in a good amount of action alongside all the head scratching, with some impressive set pieces, most notably a “Bourne” style marketplace chase scene, complete with characters leaping over ramshackle rooftops. The film has its fair share of rough moments, with some occasional scenes of strong violence, bloody surgery and rotten corpses. Combined with a subplot revolving around drug abuse, this gives it a valuable hard edge which again serves very well during the final act.
As such, “Private Eye” is the kind of film which offers viewers the best of both worlds, working well both as a fairly straightforward and entertaining popcorn hit, and as a well crafted and tough thriller. Slickly directed, its period setting helps it to stand out from the recent rush of other noir-themed films, as does Hwang Jung Min’s charismatic lead performance, making it a highly enjoyable and occasionally quite suspenseful thriller.Director: Park Dae-min
Screenplay: Lee Yeong-joong, Park Dae-min, Yoon Seon-hee
Cast: Hwang Jeong-min, Ryoo Deok-hwan, Oh Dal-soo, Eom Ji-won, Yoon Je-moon, Joo Da-yeong
Review By James Mudge
