Break Out is the kind of slick, clever action comedy that Hollywood tries and fails to produce on a regular basis. Director Jang Hang-jun knows where to put the camera, and being that his film is set in a chaotic cartoon world of escalating madness, he's wise enough to get grounded, subtle performances from his able cast to balance the film's absurdity. Cha Seung-weon's cool gangster, registering bemused disbelief at the madness around him, plays off nicely against Park Yeong-gyu's stoic, self-righteous corrupt politician. Kang Sung-jin's restrained work makes the sad-sack lead character, Bongu, pathetic without making him maudlin or unlikable, and the supporting cast is a colorful collection of archetypes. While the dialogue has its share of laughs, Break Out's great strength is Jang's timing and his skill at visual humor. This is especially evident in one masterful comic set piece, which finds a battalion of police officers standing side-by-side with a huge gang of bat-wielding gangsters on a train platform, each group ready to board the besieged commuter train in support of one of the warring characters onboard. While the film contains more than a few comic surprises, there's never much doubt as to where it's headed, and there's a slightly unpleasant tinge of cruelty in the way the film treats its protagonist, but Break Out achieves the kind of smart lightweight entertainment that Hollywood filmmakers with far more resources often seem unable to pull off.