This is definitely one of the best cop dramas I've seen in a long time, and a film that has a lot more going for it than a mere justification of violence that many people seem to see in it. Let's first start with the main character: another reviewer said he is macho (I don't know if he talked about the film in general or the main character Jang Do-Young played by Sang-woo Kwone): I tend to agree, but I would say that he is macho in a good way: neither is he misogynous/homophobic nor is he a Charles Bronson-vigilante type, dispensing justice at random. No, our hero is a man with balls of steel who won't hesitate to take on an entire criminal organization on his own. Well, actually he won't be alone, since, and no spoiler here, since this is the basic plot outline, he will be helped in this task by another cop of completely opposite temper, played by Ji-tae Yu. What I liked in 'Ya-soo', is that is is above all a film driven by FEELINGS: instead of opting for a cerebral approach like, for instance, Chan-Wook Park in his three films about vengeance, or a more philosophical one, like Ji-woon Kim in 'A Bittersweet Life', the director opts for an 'stripped-bare-emotions' approach, which can be qualified as melodramatic, and it is true that drama overwhelms the film, but it worked for me, and I think it was a wise choice from the director to try to explore the issues taken on in 'Ya-soo', that is to say, mainly deficiencies of the judicial system and political corruption this way, instead of copying the work of other film makers. What we have here is the direct, raw impact of an extremely unfair situation and the direct, raw response of the two main characters to the aforementioned situation, and in this context, the amount of action and violence of 'Ya-soo' is perfectly understandable. However, I think that the director is intelligent enough to inter cut this very fast-paced ride with moments when we get to know the main characters feelings and motivations, and to some extent, to SHARE them. In this respect, both KSW and JTY acted very well and managed to convey their emotions to the viewer. As for me, I was finally deeply moved by the film, and I think that this was also the primary intention of 'Ya-soo', this is a film intended to make the viewer FEEL. What a ride!!! As the tag lines suggested it on the title page for this film on this website, this film will definitely remain in my heart.
2 out of 4 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink