Please let this franchise continue to give me a new movie every year for the rest of my life. Please.
The 2024 edition of the New York Asian Festival It will take place from July 12 to 28. Follow our coverage here. YTThe 28th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival It will take place from July 18 to August 4 in the beautiful city of Montreal, Quebec. Follow our coverage here.
at risk of repeating myselfThe past few years have been very, very good for fans of international action films. From Hong Kong/China to Norway, from Australia to Japan, we’re getting a steady, solid supply of brilliant, cathartic, and cool action films. South Korea has long been riding the wave, and its particular prowess has resulted in one of the most purely entertaining action franchises of recent years. The summary: the punishment is the latest in the series that offers plenty of fun and even greater success.
A young Korean man is murdered abroad and detective Ma Seok-do (Ma Dong-seok Also know as Don Lee For clarity, he makes the possible mistake of telling the man’s mother that he will make those responsible pay. When the investigation leads to the high-tech world of online gambling and a thug named Baek (Kim Mu Yeol), he is told that the case does not concern his homicide team. When the evidence points to a prominent member of the city’s business world named Chang (Lee Dong Hwi), they tell him to be careful. They tell him many things, but his fists don’t listen.
While the year 2017 The outlaws It’s a modest action movie that most people dismissed as a one-shot, but it actually laid the groundwork for the sequels that would come five years later. Movies “loosely” inspired by a South Korean police squad, headed by the even looser-cannon Ma, with meaty fists and no time for idiots, and a tone that blends gentle comedy with slapstick, bone-crunching, knife-slashing action — these are the hallmarks perfected by the sequels. The summary (2022), The summary: there is no way out (2023), and now, The summary: the punishmentIt’s as perfect a formula as you’d hope for, as Don Lee’s enormous charms fuel both warm laughs and bloody beatings.
While No exit pits Ma against a somewhat milder villain than the previous two films, Punishment In that regard, Baek is back on form. He’s as brutal a killer as you’d expect, knowing full well that Ma will make him pay in the end, and Kim does a great job of making him both an incredibly efficient fighter (especially when wielding a knife) and a coldly sadistic jerk. His fights against Ma are thrilling because speed and metal are matched by size and determination, and both performers make the most of the space around them, resulting in plenty of broken walls, furniture, and more.
Those title fights are more important given the opponent, but Ma’s physical encounters with other bad guys are always and undeniably a delight for viewers. He’s big but he’s got his own speed, and from one-punch knockouts to slaps in the face that send guys flying, it’s immensely enjoyable to watch these thugs keep getting in each other’s faces. As is the case with the previous films, The summary: the punishment It keeps its action focused on more realistic encounters rather than big stunts or methodically choreographed fights, but it’s no less effective or exciting in its relative simplicity.
Don Lee sits at the top of the pyramid describing the enjoyment of this film (and this franchise) as he is a genuine, charismatic delight. A gentle giant, until his characters are forced to act otherwise, his occasional smile and comedic delivery create a personality that bolsters any role. As Ma, he gets to unleash “the police beast” by beating up bad guys, joking around and getting carried away with the jokes at times. Those are the two pillars that support him here, action and humor, and both are still very well served. The laughs are equally helped by the script and supporting cast, most of whom are returning actors as part of Ma’s police squad. One that stands out, however, is a low-level criminal named Jang (Lee Beom-soo) who has straightened out his act, still has terrible taste in fashion and is an easy target for Ma’s playful manipulation.
This is the director Heo Myeong-haengThis is the first attempt at the franchise and only their second feature film after this year. Badland Hunters which also stars Don Lee, and The summary: the punishment is a real success. A change at the top can sometimes cause disruption in a sequel, but it picks up where Lee Sang-yong left off and delivers another stellar entry in a franchise that I hope continues to give us more boxing fun every year until I die.
The 2024 edition of the New York Asian Festival It will take place from July 12 to 28. Follow our coverage here. YTThe 28th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival It will take place from July 18 to August 4 in the beautiful city of Montreal, Quebec. Follow our coverage here.
Related topics: Action, Fantastic Film Festival, Ma Dong-seok, New York Film Festival
