Andrei
Chikatilo, a.k.a. “The Rostov Ripper” or “Citizen X,” murdered at least
fifty-two people between 1978 and 1990 in the USSR, before finally facing
prosecution in 1992. At least South Korea’s militarist Fifth Republic was more
efficient. When they discover a serial killer striking throughout the country
they quickly close in on him. They will also provide a spare for public pillory
when the real perp dies prematurely. The frame-up job will fall to Kang
Sung-jin. He was chosen for his patriotism and righteousness, but he becomes a
problem for his co-conspirators for the same reasons in Kim Bong-han’s Ordinary Person (trailer here), which screens
during this year’s New York Asian Film Festival.
Kang
was wounded fighting in Vietnam so no commie lover is he. Nor is he an ACLU
type. When necessary, he is perfectly willing and able to rough up a suspect.
Due to a combination of diligent and dirty police work, he collars Kim Tae-sang,
who really did commit one murder—one and only one. Conveniently, Kim’s low-I.Q.
and marginalized social status make him a perfect patsy to take the fall. Kang
even believes it for a while, until his muckraking former classmate Chu Jae-jin
starts pointing out obvious inconsistencies. However, at this point Kang has
grown used to accepting favors from the intelligence service, including a
critical leg operation for his young son.
Of
course, Chu is not the sort to back down, so we know what that will get him.
However, it will also reawaken Kang’s quixotic passion for truth and justice. Unfortunately,
nobody fights dirtier than Choi Gyu-nam, the up-and-coming intelligence planner
quarterbacking the operation. He’s simply scum.
So
again, South Koreans are just super-happy with the current state of their body
politic, as we can glean from the subconscious evidence buried within their
films. Be that as it may, the paranoia and cynicism actually makes the first
two acts pretty darned tight, tense, and intriguing. The problem comes when
Kang starts making really ill-advised decisions, solely to stimulate Choi’s
villainy and put the corrupt copper in the mood for payback.
Despite
the late innings collapse, Son Hyun-joo is rock-solid throughout as the craggy
copper Kang. Likewise, Jang Hyuk will have viewers smelling sulfur whenever he
is on-screen as the sinister Choi. The often shticky Kim Sang-ho delivers a
career-best (so far), as the crusading Chu. It is also great fun to watch manly
Jeong Man-sik do his thing as the more likably corrupt intelligence chief, Shin
Yong-soo.
