Byeong-gu has killed a lot of people, but he'd
never consider himself to be a serial killer. You see, he believes
he's discovered (from watching 1950's sci-fi "B" movies and reading
conspiracy theory books) that aliens live among us, masquerading as
human beings, and that these extra-terrestrial life forms are the
main reason behind society’s many problems as well as the misfortune
in his personal life. Byeong-gu (who is on medication) also believes
that the alien Prince of Andromeda is coming to destroy the Earth at
the next lunar eclipse and, being the only one aware of the problem
that humanity is facing, has taken it upon himself to stop the
aliens and save mankind by speaking with the alien prince before the
lunar eclipse occurs. Byeong-gu has previously kidnapped several
individuals whom he believed were aliens but, as none would confess
to their alien origin or tell him the whereabouts of the prince, he
(obviously) had to kill them. Another problem for Byeong-gu is the
fact that since the aliens look just like human beings finding them
is quite a task. The latest alien suspect, as we join the film, is
Kang Man-Shik, the president and CEO of a big chemical company. With
the help of his beloved, and slightly slow, circus
performer/tight-rope walking girlfriend, Su-ni, he plans to kidnap
the businessman, torture him until he confesses that he is an alien
and force him to arrange a meeting with the prince.
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Review:
Save The Green Planet is utterly bonkers. It's
incredibly funny, viciously brutal, genuinely moving and completely
nuts. Byeong-gu never considers the idea that his "discoveries"
about an alien plot to destroy the world might simply be the
workings of the mind of a man who should take up residence in a
large padded room - he "knows" it's up to him, and him alone, to
save this little green planet. Byeong-gu hasn't had an easy life
(& he's sure that those pesky aliens are to blame for that too)
- a bee-keeper by trade, he was beaten in school, showed signs of
early violence (such as stabbing a fellow school mate with a kitchen
knife) and was victim to the sadistic whims of his cruel teachers.
His father was a coal miner who lost one of his arms due to
dangerous work practices and was subsequently killed by his wife
when he attempted to attack her and Byeong-gu. His mother was
poisoned by Kang Man-Shik's company in a pharmaceuticals test (which
Byeong-gu believes was alien experimentation), and is still in a
coma in hospital, and his former girlfriend was beaten to death by
corporate gangsters during a worker's strike. All the constant
violence that has engulfed Byeong-gu's life has had an effect on his
mental well-being and the fact that so much of that violence has
been linked to large corporations (namely Kang Man-Shik's) makes it
blatantly clear to him that Kang is an alien and a high-powered one
at that. By kidnapping and torturing him Byeong-gu will not only
facilitate a meeting with the alien Prince of Andromeda to save
mankind but will also be able to force Kang to provide an antidote
to cure his mother and all the while he'll be making the culpable
pay for the pain he has had to endure.
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Ok, Ok, I know what you're thinking… Byeong-gu's
life story doesn't seem to be a likely subject for a comedy but
that's where you would be wrong and right, all at the same time.
From the moment he and Su-ni strap on their alien-immunity hard
hats, with the little motorized rotating antennae attached, you'll
find yourself willingly immersed in a mad-cap and extremely deranged
world. I have talked a lot in reviews of South Korean films about
the country's filmmakers' unrivalled ability to mix genres and film
types and that ability is used perfectly throughout Save The Green
Planet to mould viewers' emotions and allegiances. The lead up to
Kang's torture is so truly funny (with more than one reference to
Scorcese's "King Of Comedy") that even as Kang's torture begins
viewers are still firmly on Byeong-gu's side. However as the overall
genre seamlessly morphs into a brutality akin to a Park Chan-wook
epic we, as an audience, are caught off guard by the seriousness of
the acts that Byeong-gu is committing and begin to feel sorry for
the poor businessman, only to find our emotional attachments being
turned upside down yet again by the revelation that Su-ni discovers
regarding her relationship with Byeong-gu and also by the discovery
of the contents of Byeong-gu's journal.
While Save the Green
Planet presents itself on the surface as a comedy/horror film about
aliens it is in fact a multi-themed, multi-layered work and as such
the comedy tag almost does the film an injustice. The idea that a
person's actions can have much farther reaching consequences than
that person could ever know is shown through Byeong-gu's perceptions
of himself, of others and of his place in the world all having been
coloured by the actions of others, and these in turn affect the
people he subsequently interacts with. For every physical torture
that Kang has to face at the hands of Byeong-gu other characters
(most notably Su-ni) have to face tortures of a different kind.
Byeong-gu may feel that his obsessed actions come as a reaction to
the facts as he sees them but regardless of whether or not his
beliefs are true the result is the same - his actions not only hurt
his victims but also those around him and ultimately himself.
As
if that wasn't enough, the film also alludes to working conditions
in South Korea at the time. The reference to Byeong-gu’s previous
girlfriend’s murder by corporate gangsters and Kang’s company being
responsible for his mother’s illness are at the same time vital plot
points and statements on the activities of corrupt corporate heads
and their firm grip on labour unions in the country during the
period.
Let's not forget, however, that Save The Green
Planet is a comedy (sorry for any injustice caused by that
statement) and an accomplished one at that. Parodies range from
genre (for example the classic idea of a serial killer movie where a
disgraced policeman, opposed to both the killer and the authorities,
is the only one who can put the clues together) to specific film
homages including "Bladerunner", "The Usual Suspects" and Kubrick's
"2001". The dialogue is witty and intelligent and care is taken to
ensure empathy between viewers and the characters. And the plot? No
matter how bonkers it may sound (and is) you'll find yourself
questioning whether Byeong-gu is really crazy after all.
Note: The images directly
above are taken from the "2001" homage piece in "Save The Green
Planet" and have not been posted here simply as gratuitous female
nudity.
Cast and Crew:
It is hard to believe
that Save The Green Planet is Jang Jun-hwan's directorial debut. He
has a keen eye for shots with detailed nuances and, obviously being
a fan of classic sci-fi, is able to effectively reference specific
looks from the subjects of his homages/parodies on a limited budget.
He uses colour to provoke emotional feel repeatedly and his approach
to this is very reminiscent of Kim Jee-woon's use of the flower
motif in A Tale Of Two Sisters. The limit of the budget is only
shown to have been an issue during the last few scenes of the film
where the use of cgi is clearly noticeable, but by that point
viewers will have had such an enjoyable experience watching the
movie that they'll happily let that fly without too much
criticism.
The entire cast provide stellar performances
especially Shin Ha-kyun (who previously starred in JSA and Sympathy
For Mr Vengeance) as Byeong-gu. His ability to show total belief and
conviction at the same time as utter ridiculousness is a sight to
behold. It is claimed that he signed onto the project on the
strength of the script alone which is easy to believe considering
how him throws himself into the character wholeheartedly. Baek
Yun-shik as Kang Man-shik gives a suitably irate business-like
performance and Hwang Jeong-min gives a genuine warmth and lovelorn
innocence to the character of Su-ni.
Directed
By: Jang Jun-hwan
Cast (Actor ... Character)
Shin Ha-kyun ... Lee Byeong-gu
Baek Yun-shik ...
Kang Man-shik
Hwang Jeong-min ... Su-ni
Lee Jae-yong ...
Inspector Choo
Lee Ju-hyeon ... Inspector Kim
Gi Ju-bong ...
Squad Leader Lee
DVD
The DVD reviewed is the region 2 Tartan Video
release, provided as a two disc special edition. Colours are clear
and rich and the film print is exceptionally clean. There is minor
ghosting present on a couple of the darker scenes but the picture
quality is, in general, crisp. Sound is well spread across channels
and is uniform throughout.
Format: PAL, Widescreen
Main Language:
Korean
Available Audio Tracks: DTS 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles: English
Disc
Format: DVD 9
Region: All Regions
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 2
Classification: 18
Studio: Tartan
Video
Run Time: 113 minutes
DVD
Features:
Deleted Scenes
Director
Commentary
Cast And Crew Interviews
Behind The Scenes
Jamie
Russell Film Notes
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