Being
a small businessman is not so different from being a cop. Both have a tough time
making ends meet and the bottom-feeding media is only too happy to score cheap
points against either. At least independent proprietors can be their own boss.
That is why narcotics team leader Go will be tempted to make it permanent when
he goes undercover as a purveyor of fried chicken in Lee Byeong-heon’s Extreme
Job, which screens again during the 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival.
Go’s
team made a real hash of their last case, so if they do not rack up some
high-profile collars quickly, they are likely to be disbanded. The five misfit
cops decide to follow a rival squad leader’s tip, staking out long-suspected
drug kingpin Lee Moo-bae’s new hideout. There is definitely illegal business
going on behind closed doors, but the chicken shop they have been using to
monitor Lee’s gang is about to go out of business. In the spirit of all or
nothing, Go uses his pension fund to buy it out.
Of
course, they will have to sell some chicken to keep up appearances. Oddly
enough, Det. Ma, the compulsive gambler and general foul-up, happens to have a
knack with chicken. In fact, his chicken with rib marinade becomes a foodie
sensation. Suddenly, Go and his team are too busy filling orders to do much
police work, which frustrates the hard-charging veteran and the idealistic
newbie. However, things take a surprise turn when the media starts nosing
around.
Extreme
Job is
one of the relatively rare South Korean comedies that translates quite well for
American audiences. Of course, it does not hurt that there is quite a bit of
action, including a massive beatdown climax. However, it really works because Lee
Byeong-heon and screenwriter Bae Se-young take a clever premise and fully develop
it. They do not simply milk a few chuckles out of the prospect of cops
distracted by their own chicken-slinging cover. This Macguffin takes on a life
of its own.
It
is also amusing to see Ryu Seung-ryong, the grizzled star of films like The Target, The War of the Arrows, and The Front Line, playing such a
sad-eyed, snake-bit underdog. He still shows off plenty of action chops down
the stretch. Although he is more than a bit annoying at first, rubber-faced Jin
Seon-kyu also develops some roguish charm as the culinary-skilled Ma.
Thanks
to the game cast (Go’s Fab Five), Extreme Job has quite a bit of genial
charm. It is easy to see why it broke Korean box office records and has Kevin
Hart kicking the tires of a potential American remake. It is just a lot of
easy-going fun, somewhat in the spirit of the original Beverly Hills Cop and
Stakeout movies. Recommended for fans of cop comedies, Extreme Job screens
again next Wednesday (7/31), as part of this year’s Fantasia.