London Korean Film Festival – Belfast

Aimless Bullet is Yu Hyun-mok’s most exem­plary work and a key piece of Korean realist cinema. The film captures the collective anxiety of post-war Korea through clerk Cheol-ho and his family. A commercial failure upon its ini­tial release, it was soon banned by the military government, finally receiving its due recognition when presented at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1963. Since then the film has gained legendary status in Korea as a clas­sic awaiting rediscovery.

When their special chicken recipe becomes a massive hit with the public, it is a case of stakeout meets takeout, as cooking and crime-busting get ever more confused, until this ensemble of misfits finally learns why they were put together in the first place, and why their leader Captain Ko (Ryu Seung-yong, Seven Years of Night, 2017) has the nickname ‘Zombie’. “There’s lots of absurdity in what we do,” says Ko – and when it comes to crazy laughs and over-the-top fighting, Extreme Job delivers to order.

When Su-min (a remarkably nuanced debut from Moon Seungah) and her brother Jin-ho (Choi Joonwoo) are told by their parents that they will soon divorce, they are given an impossible choice. Each can only live with one parent. They must decide for themselves who they would prefer. Resolutely optimistic, Sumin attempts to convince her parents to go on a family trip, believing that if they can put the pressure of work aside for just one weekend, they will see a future together and call off the divorce. Told with absolute honesty and compassion, Su-min’s young endearingly positive perspective collides with the unfathomable complexities, confusion and cruelties of the adult world. This diamond sharp minimalist gem joins the ranks of great films about childhood.