Director: Kim Kwang Sik.
Starring: Kim Kang Woo, Jung Jin Young, Park Sung Woong, Ko Chang Seok, Ahn Sung Ki, Park Won Sang, Lee Joon Hyuk, Ko Won Hee, Lee Chae Eun.
Running Time: 121 minutes.
Synopsis: After a tabloid rumour leads to his only act’s suicide, an entertainment manager goes out looking for revenge against those that started it.
It’s a worldwide epidemic spreading through society like a ravenous disease. We’re of course talking about tabloid rumours. They’ve been around for years, prying into the private lives of celebrities and public figures, but where do these rumours stem from? TABLOID TRUTH attempts to answer such a question, but unfortunately gets caught up in nonsensical action and forgets what the whole point of the film is.
Starting as though it wants to work as a thriller with a serious point to make, we’re soon caught up in a series of conspiracy theories which do not hold up to scrutiny. Why are these people doing this? Some explanations are given, but they are never satisfactory. It results in a bunch of gossipers merely chin-wagging with terrible consequences and in many ways underplays the intrusion that the tabloids so pride themselves on.
Putting the biting social commentary aside, you’d at least expect some decent action or a plot that offers up sumptuous twists and turns, but these are also ridiculous in their execution. There’s a foot/car chase where the protagonist Woo Gan (Kim Kang Woo) chases down a car which he continuously loses, only for the car to inexplicably travel the opposite way down a parallel road. Even the music stops during such moments, echoing the audience’s sentiment that the scene should be over.
The coincidental unravelling of the plot also extends to the relationships between characters. Woo Gan is befriended by a group of rumour peddlers for reasons difficult to comprehend. The very nature of their jobs suggests they are morally challenged, yet they suddenly risk their lives, reputations and careers for Woo Gan because the script calls for it. The villains are also victims of such writing, as they constantly capture Woo Gan, break his fingers and let him go again. This is the kind of film that should have ended much sooner than it did, were it that the film subscribed to logic.
TABLOID TRUTH isn’t a complete letdown though, because, despite all of its shortcomings (or maybe because of them), the film is never boring. You’ll constantly find yourself wanting to know what happens next, even if you do end up laughing hysterically at the outcome. It’s a bit of silly fun that would have been made all the better had it celebrated its own preposterousness. The core idea is a relatable, current and important issue that could be fashioned into a workable thriller. Let’s try again, with a rare instance of calling for a remake.
[usr=2]TABLOID TRUTH is released in select US cinemas on Friday 7th March, 2014.
