KOREAN MOVIE REVIEW: THE FIVE


4/5

Eun-Ah is a crippled woman who lives her life consumed by revenge. Two years ago her husband and daughter were taken from her by a vicious killer. Realising that she could not execute her revenge alone she promises to donate her organs to four desperate  strangers. With the help of this team of the most unlikely associates,  she masterminds a plan to catch the killer, but who is hunting who in this chilling cat and mouse game?

THE FIVE takes its time to unravel, and not afraid to be slow. The tension kicks in pretty soon however, giving us badly damaged heroine ready to do anything to achieve her goal. It is typical for Korean cinema to present a well balanced mix of horrifying  and sentimental, so you will be both moved and scared. 

The script gives us a very unlikable mix of people, petty and disloyal, but as the movie progresses we see them change for the better. Their faults make them more real, but their transformation towards the end of the film is next to miraculous and hard to swallow. 

The relentless serial killer, portrayed by the young star On Joo-Wan, is more annoying than terrifying,  but by the time of the bloody finale we will learn to hate him with all our hearts. 

THE FIVE misses a few opportunities for interesting set pieces (the main character's obsession with domino effect is introduced a few times during the film, but hardly used in action) and some of the four associates barely do anything, they basically lack their own story arcs. 

All in all, THE FIVE is not without fault, but it is very complete and satisfying movie experience. Successfully combining melodrama and horror, it is an addictive viewing that has as much power to scare you as to make you shed a tear.

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