Director: Jang Jin.

Starring: Cha Seung Won, Oh Jung Se, Esom, Ko Gyung Po, Park Sung Woon, Lee Yong Nyeo, Lee Ei.

Running Time: 125 Minutes

Synopsis: A police detective preparing for a sex change operation encounters a gang of vengeful criminals.

South Korea supplies us with yet another crime feature in which a super skilled protagonist, this time a cop, must take on the baddies. Cha Seung Won plays Detective Ji Wook, a man with a relentless talent for kicking arse. This is no better demonstrated than the opening action sequence that sees Ji Wook put every item to hand to good, and violent, use. Crab claws? Straight in the neck. Tub of toothpicks? Use the whole thing as a weapon leaving an assailant looking like a porcupine. Even his Chief is tired of dealing with the aftermath of his brutal justice, and suggests he at least gets hurt a little bit so as not to come across as a complete sociopath. There’s no doubt about it, Ji Wook is a man’s man. No nonsense, well dressed, with a perfect physique.

Only thing is, Ji Wook is really a woman trapped in a man’s body. Having saved up all his life for the surgery required to become his true self, Ji Wook finds it difficult to balance his professional life with who he truly is. Keeping in shape has meant his hormone drugs haven’t quite kicked in, and his resignation letter has been handed in plenty of times. Now that he finally seems ready to take the plunge, a revenge fuelled gang come after him, resulting in a fantastic commentary on masculinity, femininity, and one’s true identity.

The film carefully treads the line between heartfelt saga and exploitation pulp noir. There are moments where Ji Wook’s experimentation with women’s clothing results in comedy, but it’s never over done or made to feel too hamfisted. There’s a cheeky amount of heart to such scenes. Same goes for the graphic violence, which is often very creative. In fact, humour is a very important part of the film, as it elicits nervous laughter in an attempt to make us see sense. Ji Wook is no less a man or a woman due to either of his personalities, and even as a woman he could take crime down a peg or 20.

Cha’s performance is exquisite throughout. Like the script and humour, he balances everything perfectly, and plays up to his romantic lead looks and filmography by giving us a nuanced performance that once again could have easily been overwrought. His eyes capture a soul and sympathy that no words can do justice to, yet when he takes down villain after villain, his technique is flawless and his resolve undoubtable. Cha has created a new breed of action hero, in one whose private life is very separate from their professional life. Jang Jin’s script does well to keep both strands of the plot separate, where it could have very well tried to combine the two in some sort of convoluted manner.

This is incredible action for anybody who loves the sharp sudden bursts from the likes of Tarantino, Kitano, of Kim Jee Woon, as well as offering a tight and concise drama. It’s very rare that a cop film can have so much depth, but MAN ON HIGH HEELS raises questions and challenges preconceptions.See it for the enjoyment factor, but then reflect on how we truly feel about a hero with such a complex range of emotions. Funny, gruesome, adrenaline packed, and very sweet, MAN ON HIGH HEELS manages to mix it all together in a beautiful way.

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