Sleep, Starring the Late Lee Sun-Kyun

Somnologists (sleep doctors) probably take issue with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, but the silent German Expressionist classic launched a tradition of some pretty cool sleep-walking horror movies. With a baby on the way, Jung Soo-jin and her husband Hyun-soo could use all the rest they can get. Unfortunately, his sleepwalking grows so disruptive, he reluctantly agrees to consult a somnologist. Yet, she soon suspects something more supernatural in Jason Yu’s Sleep, which releases today in theaters and on VOD.

It starts with some cryptic words spoken in Hyun-soo’s sleep: “someone’s inside.” Then he wakes up bleeding from a bout of compulsive facial scratching. Before long, Soo-jin finds him sleepwalking through the apartment, often in ways that risk considerable harm to himself or others.

Suddenly, she realizes their annoying down-stairs neighbor’s noise complaints might be valid and relevant. She also stops dismissing her mother’s talk of sigils and shamans. In fact, Soo-jin starts researching supernatural causes in earnest. Not surprisingly, the combined pressure of recent motherhood and her deep dive into the occult takes its toll. Nevertheless, she remains committed to Hyun-soo.

In fact, Sleep is a rarity among horror films, which genuinely respects the for-better-or-for-worse vows. Indeed, the film is largely all about how two main characters act accordingly, under extreme conditions. As Soo-jin and Hyun-soo, Jung Yu-min and Lee Sun-kyun truly act like a couple who share considerable history together, as well as the in-jokes and shorthand references that come with it. The poignancy of their chemistry further elevates with the realization Sleep represents one of the final films of the late Lee, whom many friends and colleagues believe was recklessly hounded to his death by the police and the tabloid press.

Project Silence, Starring Lee Sun-kyun

If you want to make something sound scary and evil, call it a project, like the Blair Witch Project, Colossus: the Forbin Project, or the 1619 Project. This project is also similarly sinister. It should have been called the “Cujo Project.” Any genre fan could have warned these government researchers that mutating dogs into assassins was a really bad idea, but they did it anyway. Unfortunately for Cha Jung-won, the dogs of war slip loose on the airport bridge he and his daughter find themselves trapped on in Kim Tae-gon’s Project Silence, which opens today in theaters.

Even though he is the deputy intelligence director in the current administration, Cha had no knowledge of Project Silence, until he gets stuck in the middle of it. Due to several Rube Goldberg-esque pile-ups, traffic on the bridge is blocked in both directions. Inconveniently, the super-secret military transport carrying the killer canines is part of the wreckage, which you know, lets the dogs out.

Initially, Cha believes he can coordinate a rescue operation from the ground, with the help of his boss, Jung Hyun-baek, the intelligence director, who happens to be their party’s presidential nominee. However, he eventually figures out what the rest of us knew from the start. Jung knew about Project Silence and he wants to bury the truth on the bridge.

Obviously, Project Silence cannibalizes elements from many other films. In some ways, it is Universal Soldier for dogs. It is also very a frustratingly dark film, not in terms of tone, but with respects to the actual lighting.

However, it is cool, in a decidedly bittersweet way, to see the late Lee Sun-kyun playing a morally complex action hero. He is rock-solid as Cha, but any fan of action movies or thrillers should catch out his brilliantly funny work in A Hard Day.

The King’s Case Note: King Yejong Investigates

Even during the Joseon Dynasty, trouble came from the north. A conspiracy of court officials eager to protect their power and privilege will foment and exploit northern unrest, but the king is unusually learned and assertive. Of course, that is exactly why they started plotting against him in the first place. It will be king versus court in Moon Hyun-sung’s The King’s Case Note (trailer here), which opens today in Los Angeles.

This will be pie-faced Yoon Yi-seo’s first day as a court historian chronicling King Yejong’s wise rule. After passing the civil service exam with the highest score, Yoon assumed such a position would be an honor, until he meets the King. His Majesty likes to keep officials on their toes, Yoon most definitely included. However, Yoon comes to respect the loose cannon precisely because of the enemies he has earned.

Northern official Nam Gun-hee is definitely one of them. Following a keep-your-enemies-close strategy, the King has just appointed him defense minister. Unfortunately, Nam’s men will still cause all sorts of chaos through rumors, especially after they kidnap the King’s popular adolescent nephew and inevitable rival for the throne, Prince Jaseong. There are also reports of a mysterious “ghost fish” sea monster wreaking havoc in northern rivers. However, the coup-plotters misunderestimate the King’s deductive skills and early forensic investigational techniques.

Although billed as a comedy, it is really the intrigue that drives Case Note. Granted, the King constantly hits poor sad sack Yoon over the head with whatever might be handy, but it is far less shticky and slapstick than a lot of Korean comedy imports (that generally play awkwardly for American audiences). Instead, Case Note is a fast-paced, action-packed tale of Joseon skullduggery.

Slightly playing against type, Lee Sun-kyun (the roguishly corrupt cop in A Hard Day) is electrically charismatic as the stubbornly virtuous king. As his Watson and Boswell, Ahn Jae-hong provides the comic relief without going excessively over the top. Jung Hae-in shows off some impressive action chops as the King’s nick-of-time bodyguard, Black Cloud. However, Kim Hee-won might be too understated as devious Nam.

Shrewdly, Moon plays down the Scooby Doo elements in favor of courtly machinations and betrayals. The result is just a lot of fun. The film also comes at a time when it will resonate with a lot Americans, due to its portrayal of a maverick head of state sabotaged by featherbedding civil service bureaucrats. Highly recommended for fans of historical mysteries and thrillers, The King’s Case Note opens today (4/28) in the O.C. at the Buena Park CGV Cinemas.