(Movie Review) Simplicity, humor overcome humdrum plot in 'Turtle Runs'

(ATTN: photos available)
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, June 2 (Yonhap) -- Hilarious and entertaining, with all the right elements
squeezed together in a two-hour running time, "The Turtle Runs" may leave more
than a few fathers or husbands choking back sobs as the end credits roll.

One catch: a movie featuring a ne'er-do-well family man is far from unique in
Korea's traditionally patriarchal society.
At first glance, "The Turtle Runs (Geobuki dalinda)" comes across as a routine
cops and robbers drama, especially with Kim Yoon-seok, who played detective in
"The Chaser (2008)," starring in the lead role. Look deeper and what emerges is a
tale of a pathetic protagonist who is shoved into an agonizing and at times
hilarious mess while trying to become a better husband and father.
Pil-seong, played by the award-winning Kim, is a clumsy detective in a provincial
South Korean village who is constantly scolded by his older wife and pitied by
his two young daughters.
Hoping to make some money out of a bullfighting tournament held in his hometown,
Pil-seong "steals" his wife's savings and bets the money on a second-rate bull.
His modest dream of buying new underwear for his frugal wife and a camcorder for
his daughters almost comes true when his bull wins. But just as he is about to
collect the prize, Gi-tae (Chung Kyung-ho), a notorious swindler on the run,
snatches the money from right under Pil-seong's nose.
Desperate to get his money back and to "get even" with Gi-tae, who has stung his
pride and cost him his job, Pil-seong decides to take matters into his own hands.
But like a "turtle racing against a rabbit," the blundering chaser is repeatedly
outwitted by the young and attractive fugitive as the case begins to make
headlines nationwide.
With all the conventional elements of a chaser movie -- speed, suspense and
heart-pounding action -- "Turtle..." succeeds in portraying a realistic narrative
that draws laughter and irony in one swing.
Director Lee Yun-woo, who studied in the U.S. and remains relatively unknown in
the local film industry, shows great potential in his second feature which
manages to sustain pace and humor throughout.
"The story features a fugitive and a detective, but it is really a family movie
about a dad trying to protect and be good to his family," Lee told audiences at
the film's preview Monday. "This movie is nothing big and flashy, but I hope it
will make people laugh."
Plain, simple camera angles give "The Turtle Runs" a true-to-life quality. Bereft
of the flashy cinematography common to other modern Korean films, the simplicity
blends well with the its premise and actually provides a fresh break from the
more superficial approach taken by films in the same genre.
Actor Kim, who swept several best actor awards here last year, again proves
himself to be a phenomenal actor. It's difficult to imagine anyone else playing
the foul-mouthed and hot-tempered detective seemingly tailor-made for Kim, who
says he was drawn to the role "at first sight."
"The only thing that made me hesitate was the fact that Pil-seong was also a
detective, a role I had already played in my former movie ('The Chaser')," Kim
said during opening night. "But the similarity between the two characters ended
there. Pil-seong is unlike any character I have played in the past."
"The Turtle Runs," with a running time of 117 minutes, will hit local theaters
June 11. Its distributors have yet to finalize the English title of the movie.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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