Shillaeui Dalban

Shillaeui Dalban (2001)

Run Time - 118 min.  |   Countries - Korea, South, United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Review by Todd Kristel

Shillaeui Dalban is an agreeable Hollywood-style comedy about two buddies who clash as they pursue the same beautiful woman. It is evident early in the film that the woman is spunky, the gangster has a heart of gold, and the teacher acts like a hotheaded bully but still cares about his students in his own way. There isn't much character development beyond that. Also, some of the plot twists are too predictable and there aren't a lot of gut-busting laughs in this movie. However, the film does have a fair number of entertaining moments. The acting is deliberately overstated at times with mixed results, but the three leads do a respectable job, and Kim Hye-Soo is particularly appealing as the romantic interest. The level of violence is relatively restrained, even though the movie includes several fight scenes and the plot involves juvenile delinquency and organized crime; fights are more likely to result in cuts and bruises than serious bloodshed, and guns are far less evident in this film than they would be in a typical American gangster movie. Kick the Moon has a fair amount of slapstick humor based on acts such as pulling ears and slapping heads, so your enjoyment of this film will depend on how much you like this type of comedy. Overall, it isn't a particularly remarkable motion picture, despite becoming one of the highest-grossing Korean films ever, but it is a pleasant viewing experience nonetheless.