Arizona Reporter - Movie Reviews - 09/07
THIRST (Bakjwi)


Bookmark and Share


Poor priests. Reeling from years of exposures-the sexual molestation of minors and now the subject of Korean director, Park Chan-wook, who involves a man of the cloth in blood-sucking, adultery over and over (and over), and serial murder. One wonders whether the audience in South Korea that made "Thirst" a huge box-office hit would be tempted-after seeing this film--to swing back to that country's traditional religions of shamanism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

Focus Features
Reviewed for Arizona Reporter by Harvey Karten
Grade: B-
Directed by: Park Chan-wook
Written By: Park Chan-wook, Jeong Seo-gyeong inspired by Emile Zola's novel "Therese Raquin"
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-vin, Kim Hae-suk, Shin Ha-gyun, Park In-hwan, Oh Dal-su, Song Yeong-chang, Mercedes Cabral
Screened at: Broadway NYC, 7/8/09
Opens: July 31, 2009

Twitter.com/ArizonaReporter



Park Chan-wook has developed a fan base in his native land and among art-house mavens globally through the intense visuals and gripping dramas such as "Chinjeolhan geumjassi," known in the English-speaking world as "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance," about a woman who after thirteen and half years in prison for kidnapping and murdering the boy Park Won-mo, is released and tries to fix her life by taking vengeance on the real killer, thereby redeeming herself. But redemption is not in the cards, or in the mah-jongg that is frequently played in "Thirst," for Father Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho), at least not until the final scene. The reverse is true, and here's where director Park, inspired by Emile Zola's naturalistic novel of seduction and murder, "Therese Raquin," may be taking his own jabs at the restrictive lives of Catholic priests. Poor Mr. Sang, sublimating any man's natural eroticism by doing good, proves that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. He participates as a volunteer for an African vaccine which, when administered, kills him. A transfusion of tainted blood restores him to life but turns him into a vampire, driven by the most intense urges of thirst for blood and raging carnality, urges which will lead him to murder.

He has little trouble seducing young Tae-ju (Kim Ok-vin), married to his sickly and abusive childhood friend, Kang-woo (Shin Ha-kyun), a loser who is doted upon by his mother, Madame Ra (Kim Hae-sook). Tired of caring for a man she does not love, Tae-ju seeks the priest's help in escaping from her life. Sang-hyan is happy to oblige, his sexual prowess simply one of the benefits of super-strength conferred by his new status as an occasionally flying vampire who fears only the sun.

This is not the sort of horror pic familiar to Westerners, accustomed to Dracula-clones turning into bats, stakes driven through hearts, and the like. This is art-house vampirism, though the gory close-ups are there to please horror-buffs: boils break out on the faces of both the priest and his newly-vampired significant other, crying out not for the skill of a dermatologist but for a sip of blood, The red fluid is taken not only by the familiar bites on the neck but by drinking from a hospital tube that keeps one man alive in a coma.

The twenty-two year old actress-model Kim Ok-vin is the one to watch. Her demonic expressions interchange with looks of innocence, curiosity, and an outright wonder at the beauty of her new life. Her orgasms are, well, orgasmic, even more so than those of the priest. Her mother-in-law evokes an almost farcical tone, a victim of locked-in disease that keeps her paralyzed except for her eyes, not unlike the illness of Jean-Do in Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."

Is anything wrong with the film? Absolutely. At 133 minutes it's overlong, particularly since many of the blood-sucking scenes are repetitive. The picture appears to be simulating a carousel of gore, the blood looking more like red ink than the thick, juicy entity that it really is. The flying scenes, restrained nicely, are a cliché, in no way to be compared to those in "Crouching Tiger." Boredom sets in during the last half-hour, redeemed in part by a stunning scene of a sunrise such as you'll not find even in Acapulco's Pie de la Cuesta beach. Some unintentional audience laughter arises from scenes that appear campy but are meant to be taking literally. "Thirst" is recommended for an audience broad-minded enough to enjoy vampirism with a particular Korean flare.

Rated R. 133 minutes. © 2009 by Harvey Karten Member: NY Film Critics Online



© 2010 Arizona Reporter (reproduction prohibited)
blog comments powered by Disqus

Entertainment

Stallone, "Bullets are easy , emotions are hard"

I like two types of films, action and westerns, both with guns, balls and beautiful women. Bullets and blood are exactly how Sly closed out his infamous Rambo franchise and as a director he has learned a vital ingredient in filmmaking-to surround oneself with the finest in the trade that can compliment the grittiness and violence his more recent films are known for.

Two Stand Up For Mel Gibson, One Rich, One Poor

Probably one of the best examples of Tourette Syndrome I can think of is the Irish bartender characterized by (Gerard Parkes) in Troy Duffy's directed franchise - The Boondock Saints. Simple or complex the neurological disorder affects more people than one would imagine. Historically having its suffers labeled with being demon possessed.

Quantum Leap Thinking

You Don't Have to Do It Alone

How many wonderful ideas have never been put out in world because their creator was afraid of appearing foolish? How many people have stifled their creativity because of fear? How many of you have never allowed your creative vision to become reality for fear of asking for help or creating a partnership? Far too many, I'm afraid.
More Quantum Thinking

  Finding AZR
  XML/RSS Feed


Subscribe Via Kindle

AZR is iPhone™ & iPad™ Compatible

Around Arizona

Believe your free? Want to stay that way?

Write just one sentence. Just one, I dare you... I double dare you... I triple-dog-dare you!

WRITE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE.

Of Fruit-Flies And Mosquitoes, Post Monsoon Mayhem

AZR - It's that time of year again as the monsoon rains peak; only to to give way to humidity, fruit flies and the upcoming mosquito season. Were taking this opportunity to share with you a couple tricks to ridding your home of these pesky bugs.



Arizona Guide

Arizona Fishing Report Sept. 1

With dove season being open (Sept. 1), it's a good time for a cast-n-blast trip, especially along the lower Colorado River.

Yuma has the prime dove hunting with all of its agricultural fields. During the past two weeks, however, I witnessed lots of doves all along the Colorado River from the Topock Gorge to Yuma (and also lots of fat quail for October fin and feather trips).

Arizona Events

Tucson Spanish and Flamenco Festival

2nd Annual Spanish and Flamenco Festival in historic downtown Tucson. This is a unique opportunity to experience flamenco and Spanish culture in a traditional late-night, outdoor festival atmosphere. Traditional Spanish tapas will be served along with Casa Vicente's extensive dinner menu.


Susan Granger Reviews


Piranha 3-D - Scary, Sicko and Chock Full O'Carnage

When many critics, including me, review a movie they take into consideration how well it accomplishes what it sets out to do. If it's a B horror-flick, is it a real fright-fest? Do you cringe? Do you shriek? If the answer is yes - then it accomplishes what it's meant to do, like "Snakes on a Plane."

Harvey Critic


THE AMERICAN, Grade: C

It's chic for a movie critic to say that "the book is better," but in this case-considering that the story is a slow-moving psychological suspense thriller-Martin Booth's 1990 novel is the way to go. As you turn the pages you will doubtless wonder what comes next, the type of tale that intrigues on the page but comes across inert on the big screen. As directed by Anton Corbijn, "The American" is spare of dialogue (script by Rowan Joffe and the novelist), the music by Herbert Grönemeyer either non-existent or anything but intrusive, with a landscape in Italy's Abruzzo region that's, what should we say, European? The medieval town built on a hill, scene of most of the action, would be nice to drive through but would hardly entice tourists to stay overnight. This is the sort of place, however, that a fellow in the service of assassins might want to live, a form of redemption that he would not likely find in his home country but rather as an expatriate living the quiet life away from what novelist Martin Booth calls "the shadow-dwellers."

  The Web Newsroom         Twitter     Arizona Reporter     XML/RSS