The Yellow Sea
Written and Directed By: Na Hong-Jin
Starring: Kim Yun-Seok, Ha Jung-Woo
Na Hong-Jin’s The Yellow Sea was chosen as the closing film of this year’s New York Asian Film Festival, which wrapped up this week in New York City.
Na Hong-Jin’s The Chaser, which was released in 2008 in South Korea, came onto the scene like a lightning bolt. Korean film was starting to get international attention for filmmakers like Park Chan-Wook and Bong Joon-Ho, but receipts were middling at home, as well as critical attention. But Mr. Na changed it all with his deceivingly simple cat and mouse game between a former detective and a serial killer. It failed to break any boundaries in terms of reinventing the genre, but with its quick pace and uniquely reserved tone, it became a smash hit at home and received a deserving cult following in the United States.
Now comes his more explosive epic, The Yellow Sea. The film is bigger in every way, no doubt in thanks to the fact the bill was footed by 20th Century Fox, hoping for a big score in the film’s home country. But this border hopping and complex tale loses many of the elements that made The Chaser a hit. Mr. Na still shows his substance as a visual stylist, but ultimately The Yellow Sea is too grandiose that it lacks a personal touch.
