CAST: Jo Jin-Woong, Lee Sung-Min and Kim Moo-yul
DIRECTOR: Lee Won-tae
Filmmaker Lee Won-tae seems to have enjoyed the opportunity to tell this story of a pit of low-lives, led by Cho Jin-woong as an aspiring congressman who eagerly abandons any trace of moral fibre while vowing to destroy the crooked businessmen and criminals who impacted his ambitions.
Stylish and bracingly chilly, the story may not have much new to say about how power corrupts, but it’s awfully fun to watch Lee’s scheming combatants grapple to gain the upper hand. This movie was part of Cannes’ 2019 midnight section.
Lee’s story takes place in 1992 in Busan, where Hae-woong (Cho) is running for office, assuming he’ll have the Democratic Party’s backing for his nomination, which will all but guarantee his victory. But after influential local business leader Kwon (Lee Sung-min) informs him that the party will be supporting another candidate, Hae-woong campaigns as an independent, inspiring constituents with his idealistic words. Afraid that Hae-woong might win, Kwon uses illegal means to ensure his defeat, which prompts Hae-woong to team up with Pil-do (Kim), a gangster who helped bankroll his campaign, to bring down Kwon.
The Devil’s Deal presents a colored view of politics, viewing Hae-woong as representative of anyone who seeks elected office, gladly compromising his principles in order to obtain power. It’s perhaps not hard to guess where the story will ultimately go, but Lee conveys such steely confidence as he dramatises Hae-woong’s embrace of his dark side — all the while continuing to project a slimy, smiling charm to the outside world. This politician isn’t above playing dirty, first by stealing sensitive information about a lucrative in-the-works land development deal and, later, resorting to brutal violence to get what he wants.
In the film’s initial scenes, Cho plays him as a charismatic, virtuous underdog but he quickly converts into a spineless swindler who has no compunction about assorting with killers and swindlers.
That complexity of Cho’s character makes him a compelling read and someone who keeps the audience on the hook as he constantly tries to stay ahead of his debt collectors while furiously mapping out his strategy to ruin Kwon. Director Lee pushes his pieces around the chessboard with aplomb, leaving the ultimate victor a teasing mystery to the very end — where there’s one last twist in store.
A very enjoyable movie that has conspiratorial depth to the extent that the politics of the situations is believably shocking. The scenes are perfectly designed and executed. A masterclass in political thriller movies where each plot falls into place with clarity and precision.
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