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Seoul Vibe [2022] - film


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Seoul Vibe, 2022.jpg

 
 
 
 
 
 
Seoul Vibe
Director: Moon Hyun Sung
Writer: Sua Shin
 
 
 
 
 
Main Cast, the Sangedong Supreme Team:
Yoo Ah In as Park Dong Wook, the leader and driver
Go Kyung Pyo as Oh Woo Sam, the university grad and a DJ
Lee Kyu Hyung as Bok Nam, the navigator
Park Ju Hyun as Park Yoon Hee, Dong Wook's sister and leader of a biker gang
Ong Seung Wu as Joon Ki, the youngest and a genius handyman and mechanic
 
Significant Supporting Cast:
Kim Sung Kyun as Chairwoman Kang's right hand man
Jung Woong In as Chief Prosecutor
Moon So Ri as Chairwoman Kang In Sook, influential in the underground
Oh Jung Sae as Prosecutor Ahn who recruits the Sangedong Supreme Team 
Song Min Ho as Galchi, a rival and frenemy of Dong Wook
 
 
Plot:
Park Dong Wook is a driver who dreams of going to the US to race in the Daytona 500. For now, he's making money as a driver, transporting no questions asked for a guy he knows in Saudi Arabia. He has Joon Ki, his mechanic and sidekick with him. They decide that they've made enough dosh in SA, and go home to South Korea. It is 1988, and South Korea is hosting the Olympics, with all the festivities that entails. However, as soon as Dong Wook and Jook Ki land in Seoul, they find themselves being chased by men in black suits. 
 
DW and JK, and the rest of their friends Oh Woo Sam, Bok Nam, and Yoon Hee are recruited by Prosecutor Ahn to work for him to ferret out details on major slush funds made from underground activities and corruption. The one in charge of those slush funds and underground activities is Chairwoman Kang who isn't above strong arming and more anyone who doesn't do her bidding. She's the type to brand her close associates as both threat and promise.  Her enforcer and right hand man is a scary man who is ex-military whose allegiance is not to her actually, but to the ex-president that they both serve.
 
Prosecutor Ahn and the Sangedong Supreme team are trying to uncover the slush funds before the Olympics are done, since those slush funds are set to move out of the country as the Olympics finish and SK is no longer in the world spotlight.
 
 
Review:
This movie is a lot of fun with a stellar cast who share amazing chemistry. There is a lot of bromance, though no romance, and it works better that way for this movie. The Sangedong Supreme team are close friends and relatives, all with their own quirks, and it's their interactions that kept me engaged and watching.
 
There are moments of tension and sadness as the team try to figure out what they really want for themselves and what they have gotten themselves into, but these moments don't quite convey that much depth. There are also scenes of violence, but not a lot of it is depicted on-screen, the most gruesome actions are implied and/or happen off-screen.
 
The period cars that they used were a lot of fun, though I was not familiar with most of them since they were domestic SK cars from that time. I had a bit of a chuckle at some of the early naming of the cars which were probably nods to more famous American cars, e.g. the Hyundai Pony which might have been because of the Ford Mustang.
 
I also have to admit that since the movie is set in 1988, there were plenty of elements that caused me to flashback to the drama 'Reply 1988'. For one major element of this, Go Kyung Pyo who was one of the leads of 'Reply 1988' is also a lead here, and while the two characters are different, there are also some similarities, namely in their desire to do what they see as the right thing. It also doesn't help that one of the car chases is set to the song "Last Night" by the group Sobangcha. Even though GKP isn't in the car chase at all, there is an epic dance number that his character and buddies do in 'Reply 1988' to that song.
 
Kim Sung Kyun who plays a brutal villain here was one of the sweet fathers, possibly the sweetest father married to the cheetah ajumma, in 'Reply 1988'.
 
Anyway, this movie is a fun watch, even if the plot and character development is on the thin sides. The cast is having a lot of fun with this movie, and it shows in their chemistry on screen. Plus, some really nice car racing and chasing scenes. Especially funny once you realize that the hot driver character Dong Wook is played by Yoo Ah In who apparently doesn't drive at all.
 
 
Ratings:
Plot: 7 - There could have been better plot development, but it didn't get in the way of enjoying the movie.
Cast: 10 - Cast chemistry!
Production Value: 9  - That '88 nostalgia!
Rewatch Value: 9 - It's fun, even if not a masterpiece. I could definitely see myself rewatching this, especially if I'm going through a dry drama patch.
  • Star Struck 1
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