Officer Black Belt: What a Crime

Kim Joo-hwan definitely has a workable formula. In previous and much better movies like Midnight Runners and The Divine Fury, he presents a pair of likeable guys (rookie cops in one; demon chasers in the other) who decide to join forces in order to seek justice (legal or celestial, as the case may be) then end up becoming best friends forever in the process. Why doesn't it work this time around? Once again, he's got a naive protagonist (Kim Woo-bin) knee-deep in a endless fight for the good. Once again, he's got a truly evil villain — this time, a serial child molester (a hulking Lee Hyun-geol) devoid of remorse. There's even a charismatic mentor (Kim Seong-gyoon)...for the good guy, not the bad.

What Kim doesn't have is any characters with nuance. Or particularly thrilling fight sequences. Or a female character with a purpose. Or a compelling back story. Or a sense of someone growing as a person over the course of the film. Not with the hero. Not with his gamer sidekicks. Not with his dad. The biggest change we witness in Officer Black Belt is the young martial artist's decision to go from being a punky bleach-blonde to a raven brunette. That his beautician must do double-duty as the movie's almost-rape victim and the hero's stand-in auntie will give you an idea of how contrived it all feels. Officer Black Belt, you're looking tired.

Inside Men: He's Got the Look

Does an actor have to be beautiful to hold your attention? No. But it helps. Case in point: Lee Byung-hun. Woo Min-ho's Inside Men may have enough plot twists for a Hallmark mystery miniseries, but the real pleasure comes from seeing the many photo-ready looks of Lee who, despite a detachable prosthetic hand here, is eternally ready for the runway. Part of the time he looks like a retired surfer, his long black hair slicked back like a simulated mullet. Later he looks like he's auditioning for a sequel to the musical Grease. Still other times, all cleaned up with a feathered coif, he's practically walked out of a Thierry Mugler '80s lookbook — broad shoulders included. All this strutting and modeling may sound distracting but to the contrary, the visuals simply add another layer to Woo's political thriller which, for the record, is lavishly shot. And it's not as if Lee can't act!

He's got a time-tested track record to prove it too: Joint Security Area (2000), A Bittersweet Life (2005), I Saw the Devil (2010), The Fortress (2017)... Plus, he's in excellent company with a surrounding cast providing him with rich scene partners, especially Lee El as a glam old flame willing to sacrifice everything (for a price) and Cho Seung-woo as an always suited prosecutor frantically trying to get out of the trenches. One could argue that Inside Men is actually Cho's movie since so much of the screentime is devoted to his aspirational quest. But his life dream's success would be impossible without Lee, and frankly, so would the heart of this movie. Beautiful!

The Terror Live: Glib Newscaster Hears the End

Movies about radio show hosts always feel like they could be repackaged as one-man-shows. And Kim Byung-woo's The Terror Live is no exception. A thriller about a demoted anchorman who hopes his comeback has arrived in the form of a terrorist who's blowing up bridges, this modest movie takes place entirely in a recording studio with characters entering the sound booth and broadcast in via video while our antihero, Yoon Yeong-hwa (Ha Jung-woo) "negotiates" with the crazed caller (Lee Da-wit) who somehow has managed to plant explosives in a nearby bridge and in a nearer-by earphone. Hang up on this guy at your own risk!

Yoon isn't that sympathetic. He's betrayed his wife, a fellow reporter (Kim So-jin) whose life is endangered; took bribes from his slimy boss Cha Dae-eun (Lee Kyoung-young), and tossed his new crew aside without blinking an eye when opportunity arose for a better job. I wouldn't go so far to say as he should be executed for such actions but most of the film you're wondering how he's going to redeem himself. The answer may leave you shocked... but not as much as the Police commissioner (Kim Hong-pa) whose guest appearance on the impromptu interview show takes a bloody turn.