Hi everyone!
Here’s the first of two Netflix Original reviews from me this week, a stylish 1970s South Korean drug kingpin film. For a few other Netflix Original South Korean films, check out “Forgotten” (Episode #062), “Steel Rain” (Episode #087), “Psychokinesis” (Episode #124), “Illang: The Wolf Brigade” (Episode #304), Garrett Wright’s review for “Revenger” (Episode #386), and last week’s review for “High Society” (Episode #421). And if you have any suggestions, reach out over social media.
Here we go!
/////
Today’s movie is “The Drug King”, the South Korean historical drama written and directed by Woo Min Ho. The film follows the origins and rise to power of Lee Doo Sam (Song Kang Ho), a low-level smuggler who rises to power as a major-level crank kingpin throughout East Asia, branding his product with the seal “Made in Korea”. The film is based on the real-life story of a Busan drug smuggler, and the investigation and series of events that eventually brings him down.
No spoilers!
The illegal drug economy is one of the largest black markets in the world. While it is extremely difficult to measure and value the total market, most analysts put the value around $360 billion dollars. That’s billion with a B. “The Drug King” looks at one major drug lord who made his rise with methamphetamine, which makes up about a sixth of the global illegal drug trade, either in its purest form (crystal meth), or cut with other drugs (crank). But while I’m quite familiar with the drug trade within the United States (via a combination of movies, television, documentaries, books, and research), I’m not all that familiar with the drug trade in East Asia, outside of the action films that use drugs as a prop rather than an integrated story element. And for nothing else, this makes today’s film worth watching.
It would be easy to say that “The Drug King” follows any number of nouveau riche drug kingpin stories from the rise of the modern drug trade in the United States. If I had to do some media math (or maybe media meth?) to describe this film, it would be “Scarface” plus “Breaking Bad”, with all the rise and fall of the former, and all the drug science and intersectionality with politics of the latter. In fact, there are a few scenes that definitely feel like homages to both works, but what sets apart “The Drug King” is its grounding in a true story, and its period-perfect look at the 1970s and 1980s on the Korean peninsula. It adds a great deal of style and flair, particularly in the costumes and the music, and when it leans in this direction, the film spectacularly succeeds.
However, “The Drug King” also struggles with pacing and tone. The film loses steam after Lee Doo Sam’s rise to power, creating a muddled and long second act, which emphasizes a modern film score clashing with the period-specific pieces. We jump forward years at a time, bringing in quick scenes of contemporary political events that jeopardize Lee Doo Sam’s operation. And we also watch Lee Doo Sam quickly go from being a clean trafficker to a hopeless crank addict, trying to keep everything together, and leading towards his inevitable fall. It lacks the defiance of “Scarface”, and honestly, would make you feel sorry for the character if it wasn’t for the giant piles of money he had in his vault. So much promise, then a very difficult journey at the end, with a very abrupt ending.
“The Drug King” (2018) is a stylish, if inconsistent drug kingpin story, set within 1970s South Korea, and throughout East Asia. While it draws heavy stylistic influences from the period, it also struggles to fulfill the promises of its impressive first act. Fans of drug trade films, or fans of 1970s period pieces, should definitely check out this film.
Rotten Tomatoes: NR
Metacritic: NR
One Movie Punch: 7.4/10
“The Drug King” (2018) is rated TV-MAand is currently playing on Netflix.
