The King: A Royal Pain in the Ear

If I were in a generous frame of mind, I would say that Han Jae-rim's The King was fashioned in the spirit of Citizen Kane with its prolonged opening monologue or was nodding to early Korean films like Crossroads of Youth, which — though silent — were often screened with a byeonsa (a live storyteller) who supplied narration and dialogue in real-time. But to elevate Han's movie with such associations would be dishonest because The King ultimately comes across as an inexplicably recorded film treatment that's been provided with high-glam accompanying visuals. At least 80 percent of the time, we're forced to listen to lead character, corrupt attorney Park Tae-Soo (Jo In-sung), as he jabbers on and on about his career while Kim Woo-hyung's luxe cinematography attempts to make up for the lack of dialogue via gorgeous images. There's not a scene that isn't gloriously shot, even when the action gets downright nasty. (You may be forgiven for closing your eyes when the rabid dogs eat men alive.)

I'm not sure Han is entirely to blame for the film's failure though. What's also missing is a riveting performance at its center. Whereas Han's earlier (and much better) The Show Must Go On was grounded by the eternally impeccable Song Kang-ho as a mobster consumed by work, The King has at its center a cypher: one well-dressed but underdeveloped lawyer who registers more as lost than conflicted. He's neither as intriguing as his nemesis — and boss — Han-Kang Sik (Jung Woo-sung) nor as inherently likable and dynamic as his sidekick and lackey Doo-il (Ryu Jun-Yeol). And since neither of these guys talk nearly as much as Tae-soo, we're constantly resenting a soundtrack monolopolized by an anti-hero who turns into antimatter right before our very eyes.