Review of A Dirty Carnival (2006) by Bryan S — 05 Nov 2012

My review is of the official Korean DVD release, published by CJ Entertainment. I have never watched the American, Hong Kong, or European DVD releases.

I don't understand how any non-Korean individual could understand this movie after one viewing. After my first viewing, there were many things I didn't understand. I have since watched this movie 6 times and have done some side research. There are several important things that must be understood before watching this film.

Firstly, it is difficult for criminals to get guns in South Korea and gangsters that use guns are regarded as sissies. Gangsters primarily use bats and knives, rather than guns. Secondly, gangsters need sponsors in order to rise through the ranks. A sponsor is a semi-legitimate business person that needs a gangster to carry out certain tasks. Thirdly, karaoke bars are places that Koreans regularly visit. Karaoke is popular in Korean film. The absorption of these facts will make the film easier to understand.

I got off to a rough start with this movie, but it has since become my favorite movie. I consider this to be better than the 600 American films I have seen, as well as the other 300 Korean films I have seen. The message in this movie is extraordinarily cold and shows the brutal reality of gangster society. What I found interesting is how the protagonist desperately wanted a normal life, encouraged others to stay out of trouble, yet aspired to rise through the ranks of his criminal organization.

If Korean is not your native language and culture, then keep in mind that this movie may be difficult to understand at first, even with English subtitles. You will be rewarded if you watch this movie more than once and spend some time doing research on Korean culture.