The Thieves

Saw The Thieves (thanks, Basil!) It was a Korean heist movie. I've never seen Ocean's Eleven, but I assume it's pretty similar. There's a casino to be knocked-off and everyone has a little part in the well-orchestrated heist. Of course, things aren't nearly that simple and there's double-crosses, secret alliances, old bad blood, and undercover cops. Unfortunately the cast was large (not quite 11, but up there) and the interrelationships and motives were complex and it got the better of me. The film flashes back and forward in time, confusing me further. Also, though the film is Korean, much of the film takes place in China with Korean subs, atop which my English subs lay (mostly hidden.) Arg.

For the most part, I was able to follow the plot however (just the details are fuzzy) and I enjoyed what I caught. When the film crystallizes into a protracted gun-fight I knew who to root for. In that gun-fight is a fight on the side of a building, with the two combatants in climbing harnesses and that was pretty cool. I greatly enjoyed the original heist sequence which unfortunately ends about half-way through the film, giving way to an extended unpacking sequence where the aforementioned double-crosses and bad blood unfold. This bit I felt went on a bit too long, but as I say, I wasn't really able to follow the intricate histories in the first place, so maybe I'm not the best judge. The heist is great though. I like seeing a rag-tag team of clever people taking down a concrete edifice of power and money.

So, generally a good movie, but before I abruptly end this review, I want to mention a gay kiss that happens in the film. How progressive, you may think, but alas the repulsiveness of the event is played as a punchline and the masculinity of one of our heroes is reaffirmed by way of his disgust. I here wisely restrain myself from an ill-informed rant on different cultural expressions of masculinity. Ok, done.