AllMovie

Fans of Ryu Seung-wan's exuberantly goofy and action-packed Arahan may not be prepared for the somber tone of his follow-up, the boxing drama Crying Fist. One benefit of writer/director Ryu's eclecticism is that it gives his talented actor brother, Ryu Seung-beom, a chance to show off his range. After an enjoyable comic turn as the bumbling nerd action hero in Arahan, Ryu convincingly plays Yu Sang-hwan, a feckless neighborhood tough, complete with dreadlocks, whose hopelessly cynical outlook finds a momentary salve in the ring. Opposite him, the estimable Korean superstar Choi Min-sik (Oldboy) plays Kang, a grizzled, desperate former South Korean boxing champ who charges people a nominal fee to beat him up on the street. Yu is in prison, with his life clearly going nowhere, while Kang, in a bitter alcoholic daze, is in danger of losing his fragile connection to his young son. At its root, Crying Fist is a family drama, with two not-very-likeable antiheroes struggling through sport to regain their self-esteem and earn the respect of their loved ones. Director Ryu eschews the high-flying fanciful action of Arahan for a very earthbound, gritty approach, shooting boxing matches handheld, often in a single take. Thanks to his facility with visual storytelling and the strength of the cast, Crying Fist is never boring, but it does go on a bit long, and the filmmaker never generates much sympathy for either of his deeply flawed protagonists. While the film builds to an inevitable showdown between the two, it remains difficult to root for the success of characters who squander the blessings they already have.