Smugglers

Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, Smugglers follows several characters as they attempt to pull off a series of dangerous heists in 1970s South Korea. Filmmaker Ryoo, working from a screenplay written alongside Kim Jung-youn and Choi Cha-won, does an effective job of immediately capturing the viewer’s interest and attention, as the movie kicks off with a briskly-paced and impressively stylish opening stretch that proves impossible to resist. (The movie’s first half even includes a fun aspect-ratio change at around the 30 minute mark.) There’s little doubt, however, that Smugglers segues into a padded-out, hit-and-miss midsection that wreaks havoc on its forward momentum (and overall impact), as the picture’s surprisingly (and needlessly) convoluted narrative becomes more than a little difficult to comfortably follow (ie there are just so many double crosses and shifting allegiances). Such concerns become moot once the movie progresses into its almost shockingly enthralling third act, which contains an impressively brutal fight interlude and a bloody, underwater finale featuring a shark and plenty of drownings – with the end result a palpably overlong yet periodically spellbinding crowd-pleaser in desperate need of serious streamlining.

*** out of ****