Asian action cinema is a mix between the spectacular and a dramatic, often disturbing, background. An element that Dancer, from director Lee Chung-hyeon takes it to a whole new level. What begins as revenge and a new version of the one-man army, quickly transforms into an exploration of brutality.
Both about the crime—the film’s pessimistic vision of South Korean society is devastating—and about the people who, sooner or later, will be its victims. The latter, forced to defend themselves however they can. Between one thing and another, revenge becomes the reason to continue, kill and in the end, risk one’s life.
Movie style Oldboy: five days to get revenge by Chan-Wook Park, the film begins by making something clear. The world that its protagonists will face is corrupted from its origins. Which punctuates the first scene, which shows Ok-ju (Jeon Jong-seo) confronting a gang that tries to attack her.
Dancer
A simple plot, which appeals to the narration of long action sequences, rather than dialogue and character exploration. More interested in showing off its central character’s killing skills in various forms, it leaves aside context as well as some development. All in favor of a violent revenge that will devastate the world of South Korean crime.
With an aesthetic that uses light and space to highlight the abilities of its central figure, it explains everything there is to know about her. In particular, her skills with weapons and different types of fights are not only extraordinary. Also, he is not afraid to kill and will do so as soon as he can.
What has been called the South Korean — and female — version of John Wick does not deny that it pays tribute to the Chad Stahelski franchise. Ok-ju barely utters any words as he fights tirelessly amidst shelves, narrow aisles, and colorful lighting that highlighted his physical capabilities. Designed to point out that he is an enemy almost impossible to defeat, the sequence also establishes the tone and rhythm of the rest. There is not much to add, about this young woman, with a quiet and firm cruelty. Unless it’s virtually unstoppable.
Gunshots, knives and a purpose
Having narrated the above, the film advances and delves into its only conflict. This character, ready to attack mercilessly and seemingly invincible, has only one friend in the world. Min-hee (Park Yu-rim), is a dancer — and the reason for the film’s title — who leads an unhappy life. Something that Ok-ju you will discover when you find his corpse. The young woman commits suicide and leaves as her only message, since her death, her expressed desire to be avenged. Which will cause a chase on a large scale that will devastate a good part of Seoul and also the city’s crime world.
One of the high points of the script Dancer, written by its director, is that it does not decorate too much where the plot leads. This is a twisted form of justice, which will take down all the characters and scenarios that are necessary. Which includes the entire drug trafficking and human trafficking mafia that controls power in the shadows.
Ok-juhe will take on every organization and thug, including dismantling the group that led to the death of Min-hee. The latter was raped and blackmailed, because the act of violence she suffered was recorded. Little by little, the plot provides the few details that support the events she narrates. But he’s not even interested in making them more complex or especially deep.
In this film without heroes, in which everyone kills and tortures in varied ways and with different degrees of cruelty, revenge is the privilege of the strongest. Ok-ju, trained as a bodyguard and mercenary assassin, has the upper hand and will not hesitate to prove it. The plot details the long and spectacular action scenes with two simultaneous cameras, games of perspective and the use of shadow, expressing a key point. Cruelty is paid with cruelty in this perverse universe. Which will take its protagonist to the center of the entire poisonous network of connections that controls the city.
A satisfying but predictable ending
After almost an hour of beatings, shootings, beheadings and stabbings, Ok-ju will discover that the monster behind Min-hee’s death is Choi Pro (Kim Ji-hoon). Not only is he the rapist who subjected the young woman to a type of violence that the film portrays without restrictions. Also, he made sure to have everything at her disposal and control her, driving her to suicide.
As if that were not enough, he is the leader of the violent gang that subjugates the city. The plot, which does not have great narrative resources, tells the story from the front. Which ends up justifying the main character’s revenge on him and, without a doubt, all the effort he puts into achieving it. Leaving aside exploring his murderer, his past or any detail, Beyond his ability to kill efficiently, the plot focuses on his need for justice.
But beyond with neat choreographies, which replaces explanatory dialogues or weighty elements as the plot evolves, Bailarina is based on its action section. Point in which she stands out and in which she puts the greatest weight of her argument. From the subjective perspective that she uses, the blood and viscera spilled with artistic criteria to the lighting of bright neon tones, which gives it a cyberpunk air. The film has the ability to be interesting despite its simplicity. The strongest point of the feature film.