Review Korea Movie "The Devil's Deal"

Apr 9, 2022

Movies about organized crime, and its connection with politicians, the Press and anything between have been coming out of the Korean movie industry aplenty the previous years, with movies like "The King", "Asura: The City of Madness" , "Inside Men" being some of the first that come to mind. Lately, however, the turn up of entries in the category has been significantly less, with the exception of Lee Won-tae, who, after "The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil" turns up another title in the category, with "The Devil's Deal".

The story takes place just before the double election for President and National Assembly in 1992, a time where a huge redevelopment plan is also about to unfold for Busan. In this setting, Hae-woong, a Haeundae district politician and assembly member candidate is about to finally become a member of the Assembly, after years of struggling for him and his family, a success that will also allow him to pay his debtors and particularly local gang leader, Pil-do. However, just before the elections, his number one supporter in the Party, Kwon Soon-tae, retracts his backing, after some friction with other higher-ups, and decides to promote someone else. Hae-woong feels betrayed, since Soon-tae was also his mentor, but does not succumb, instead deciding to run independently. Furthermore, he employs a public official to steal classified government's information about the redevelopment, which he offers to Pil-do as collateral to loan more money. Pil-do then brings in another gangster, in order for even more money to be thrown at Hae-woong's political campaign. Soon-tae, however, has not said his last word, and soon an intense fight for the upper hand between him and his former protege begins, in which violence and even murder are definitely not out of the question.

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Lee Tae-woo directs an intense political/crime thriller, where a phrase Soon-tae once utters, about people being pawns in the political games of those who actually run the show, being the main comment here, as people after people end up being used or even dead, in the race between Hae-woong and Soon-tae. Apart from this comment, however, Lee also comments on the corruption that still dominated Korean society at the time, and actually extended from the higher echelons to the local gangsters, including public employees and the press. The way the two adversaries use their friends and allies, and how quickly alliances change in the story, highlights both these main aspects, and is also the element that allows the story to remain captivating from beginning to end, even if the narrative becomes somewhat repetitious after a point.

The second element that adds significantly to the entertainment the movie offers is the frantic pace, with the changes in the upper hand and loyalties being presented in the fastest way possible, adding significantly to the tension that dominates the narrative, and the editing being on a truly top level in that regard.

Also on a top level is the acting, headed by an astonishing Cho Jin-woong as Jeon Hae-woong, who mirrors the film's aesthetics and particularly the tension and despair in the most impressive fashion, in one of the best performances in his career. Laconic, constantly limping Lee Sung-min is also excellent as Kwon Soon-tae, emitting a sense of danger and "aristocratic villainy" with every word, providing a truly great arch enemy. The secondary characters give at least equal performances, with constantly cool Kim Mu-yeol as Pil-do and Kim Min-jae as one of the most significant "pawns", being the ones that stand out the most.

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Lee Chang-jae-I's cinematography captures all the aforementioned elements with artistry, occasionally in a style that points towards post-noir, while the interrogation scenes and the one-on-ones between the two protagonists are excellently framed, showcasing both the changing dynamics and the claustrophobic setting the characters inhabit, both literally and metaphorically.

"The Devil's Deal" may be somewhat repetitious, but even this minor fault is lost inside the overall prowess of one the best crime/political thrillers we have seen recently.