Review: There's a remarkable variety just looking at the top of the current Korean Box Office. It includes a family drama (The Way Home), a sci-fi/action blockbuster (2009 Lost Memories), three Jopok comedies (Public Enemy, Marrying The Mafia, Breakout), a horror film (Phone), a straightforward romantic drama (Lover's Concerto), a dorky and nostalgic comedy (Bet on My Disco), and two sports movies (Champion and YMCA Baseball Team). Looking deeper into the year's releases, one can find films which made less money, but still were worth watching. I set my expectations at a reasonably low level for this film, and that's probably the reason why I ended up enjoying it. The same happened for many other Korean films which on paper looked just OK, but turned out to be rewarding experiences. Jungle Juice takes its time to build, but once the major plot device kicks in, the film becomes quite entertaining.

As you can expect from this type of film, the story is nothing new. Better yet, one could argue that this is the reason recent commercial films from Korea have succeeded so well. The industry is able to take tired plots and even stereotypical characters, and add a certain charm to the proceedings. Some of the best performers in the business also help this. Like many of its predecessors, Jungle Juice takes familiar elements of the gangster comedy, like a couple of Yang Ah Chi - which is the Korean equivalent of Hong Kong's Goo Wat Jai, in a way. It seems though that Korean Cinema treats them more as low-life gangster wannabes rather than young guns - trying to gain the respect of their newly found 'family.' Of course, to put the icing on the cake, we have the usual assortment of supporting characters which often steal the show from the main stars, like a prostitute named Meg Ryan (!).

I must admit the first half of the film is quite messy in terms of storytelling structure. The director probably intended to build the characters properly and present the world of Yang Ah Chi before introducing the meat of the film, but it's a decision which doesn't always work. While Jang Hyuk and Lee Bum-soo's performances help those fifty minutes immensely, you really don't get a sense that anything important is happening. We see these two dorks fooling around for a while, then an opportunity arises and problems begin. What really saves the film, other than the already mentioned cast, is the director's style and the fact the comedy really works. You'll have to stomach more cursing than usual - even for a Jopok film - some scenes that wouldn't make the NWO proud (but then again, which Jopok film doesn't feature women getting an ass-kicking?), and leave your brain at the door - at least in terms of logic. What really matters at the end, though, is that there's a a good chance you'll have fun.

While during the first half I felt the film was trying a little too much to be cool (something Make it Big was guilty of as well), the second part surprised me in terms of pacing, action and soundtrack. It begins as a normal comedy, but it turns into something similar to Ryu Seung-wan's outstanding No Blood No Tears - albeit with less cinematic flair and creativity. If you liked Jang Hyuk in Whasango, you'll be surprised how much better he is in this film. Other than his great facial expression, he carries himself in a manner which generates laughs with ease. Lee Bum-soo (last seen in Make it Big, another connection with the film) is fine as well, and the supporting cast handle their role efficiently. To me the big surprise though is first time director Cho Min-ho. He previously worked as Assistant Director in a few films (A Hot Roof in 95, InchAlla in 96), but he shows already a good handle of visual creativity. This is no Ryu Seung-wan, but it looks like he could be a solid genre director in the future.