Just
like the old Kenny Rogers song, Kim Go-ni knew when to walk away. He went out
on top, retiring from the gambler’s life after winning a large pot. However, he
had a nephew. Unfortunately, Ham Dae-gil inherits one of his uncle’s old
enemies along with his luck and dexterity in Kang Hyeong-cheol’s Tazza: the Hidden Card (a.k.a. Tazza 2, trailer here), which opens this
Friday in the Tri-State area.
Ham
might be comfortable with a deck of cards, but he still has much to learn about
human nature. He tasted a bit of success playing for gambling den proprietor
Kko-jang, until he is taken by his own mark, the rather merry widow Woo. With
his boss flat-busted, Ham tries to raise some cash in loan-shark Jang Dong-sik’s
private game, but once again he is set up. This time, it is his hometown crush
Heo Mi-na who plays him. Deeply in debt to Jang (and suddenly short one kidney),
Ham manages to escape his clutches thanks to Heo’s intervention, but it will cost
her dearly.
Regrouping
in the exurbs, Ham convinces his uncle’s former mentor to take him under his
wing. Returning character Ko Kwang-ryeol knows all the high-rollers, but he
prefers to keep a low profile, eking out a modest living in low stakes games. Of
course, lying low will not be much of an option, given Ham’s unfinished
business with Jang and Heo. Eventually, his path will also cross that of
Aw-kwi, a mysterious gambler of almost mythic ferocity, who holds a grudge
against Uncle Go-ni.
With
not one but two femme fatales and shadowy nemeses in the mix, Taz 2 has no shortage of double-crosses
and shifting alliances. There is a lot of picaresque bluffing and cheating, but
it is considerably darker than The Sting or
even Rounders. It is tough to be a
woman in this film, even (or especially) for Woo, the jaded seductress.
Frankly, some of the scenes in question kill the buzz of the caperish conning
and backstabbing.
Although
he made quite a credible action lead as the North Korean high school sleeper
assassin in Commitment, rapper T.O.P.
seems far too light weight for a cat like Ham. Fortunately, he is surrounded by
a first rate supporting cast, who chew up all the scenery he disdains to touch.
Yu Hae-jin is a particularly nice surprise as Ko, Ham’s Obiwon. While he has
played his share broadly shticky characters before (see The Pirates as an example), he balances humor with a good deal of
world weary wisdom, while crafty veteran Lee Kyoung-young adds some class as
Kko-jang.
Yet,
Taz 2 is really all about its villains.
Former Miss Korea (Honey) Lee Ha-nui is appropriately sultry and
disconcertingly dangerous as Woo, even when her character’s decisions defy all
sense. Yet, the real battle is between Kwak Do-won’s Jang and Kim Yun-seok’s
Aw-kwi to see which can outdo the other’s stone cold malevolence.