Mission: Cross: A Bulletproof Husband and Wife

Don't give up on Lee Myung Hoon's Mission: Cross too soon. For what first seems like an irritating thriller about an invicible cop (Yum Jung-ah) whose sudden conflicts with her subservient husband (Hwang Jung-min) could be solved pretty quickly if they'd simply have a honest sit-down talk ends up being a playful action pic celebrating the virtues of commitment in marriage. I'm trying to remember the exact point in which the movie went from kinda bad to more-than-pretty good. Was it when the real identity — and the upscaled wardrobe — of the villian (Jeon Hye-jin) is revealed? Or when the heroine inadvertantly gets ahold of the USB drive at the secret hideout? Or when husband and wife reaffirm their marital vows to each other with gunware? Whenever it happens, that change suddenly transforms Mission: Cross into a highly improbable and entertaining romcom.

Lee's movie also has a veiled homoerotic subplot involving two of the lady cop's subordinates. Alas, the script only hints at this narrative via some overly defensive comments one officer (Jeong Man-sik) make about his sexuality, followed by a car with floral-crocheted seatbelt-covers that are likely the work of his squad colleague/lover (Cha Rae-hyung). But the movie only alludes. Too bad! You also get the feeling that another secondary story involving the demented torturer (Kim Byeong-ok) and his heavily tatted assistant (Kim Kyu-baek) somehow ended up on the cutting-room floor. What's left for the projector room is enough. Microwave that popcorn. Showtime has arrived.

Sunflower: Less Fighting Please

Sheesh, this one was a downer. Sunflower is the pitiful tale of a recently released convict whose life spirals further downwards despite his vow of nonviolence moving forward. So while Kang Seok-beom's heartbreaking drama has plenty of ugly fight scenes, the hero (played as a kind of naif by Kim Rae-won) is generally getting beat up without ever striking back. As human punching bags go, he's the thoroughly bruised poster child. So who's he getting pummeled for? His adoptive mother (Kim Hae-sook), his bratty sister (Heo Yi-jae), and his mechanic boss (Lee Ho-sung)... Truthfully, you feel like he'd take a broken nose for anyone.

And so many people want to slug him: His cowardly childhood buddy (Han Jeong-su), the town's sickeningly evil mobster (Kim Byeong-ok), various thugs with various weapons, various high school students with various haircuts. Plus the world's laziest cop. Speaking of which, Sunflower may have one of the most unflattering portraits of the Korean police force committed to celluloid. The duo of officers who patrol this neighborhood are repeatedly witnesses to violence which they watch without ever lifting a hand to help. Their only concern seems to be to get some more food. When the final confrontation between the Job-like, beautifully-tattooed ex-con and the town's gang of lowlifes takes place, the only ones who escape his rage are the despicable boys in blue. Is this a form of social commentary?