Dubbed the Korean little sister to JohnWick, this Netflix movie is a must-watch.
The John Wick franchise has made exceptional contributions to the movie industry. It has set a new standard for action movies, opened up exciting world-building possibilities, and, most importantly, breathed a new life into the assassin genre.
The latest in the series of John Wick-inspired assassin movies is Netflix's Kill Boksoon. It's difficult to talk about Kill Boksoon without drawing obvious comparisons with John Wick. They're both centered around an intricately built world of assassins, and they both follow an established assassin who falls out of grace after breaking a sacred rule of the trade. Having said that, however, Kill Boksoon is far from a pale imitation of John Wick. Instead, it uses the building blocks John Wick provided to tell a fresh story with a feminine flare and an Asian twist. Here's why Kill Boksoon deserves to be your next must-watch movie. COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Meet Gil Bok-soon Kill Boksoon's title is a play on its titular character Gil Bok-soon The movie's opening scene wonderfully sets up Bok-soon as an assassin with lethal skills and charm. Bok-soon is ready to take out a Yakuza boss as a part of her assignment, but since she's feeling rather generous, she offers him a fair fight. The Yakuza unsheathes a gleaming shiny sword made 400 years ago by the greatest swordsmith of the Edo shogunate. And Bok-soon draws an axe she bought online with a price tag still dangling off its handle. What follows is a visually spectacular fight scene as the characters flex their close combat skills punctuated by occasional quips. After a few clashes, Bok-soon takes a brief breather, staring into a puddle, visualizing her next move and that of her opponent. But none of the moves seem to conclude in her favor, and the gig seems to take much longer than she had anticipated. So, she offers the Yakuza a sly smile, excuses herself to get a silenced gun, and executes him because she's getting late to purchase groceries and make dinner for her teenage daughter. The scene has an amiable irreverent tone to it, and Jeon Do-yeon seamlessly blends into Gil Bok-soon, hitting all the right beats as demanded by the scene. Bok-soon's combat aptitude, soaring confidence, snarky comments, and devious smile all tessellate together perfectly to craft an assassin that's impossible to dislike. Bok-soon takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to her assassination gigs. And why wouldn't she? She has a knack for killing, and she's been an assassin with a 100% success rate for more than a decade now. But Bok-soon is also a mother to a teenage daughter, and while killing might come naturally to her, parenting doesn't.Bok-soon's 15-year-old daughter, Jae-yeong , is going through a crisis of her own, getting blackmailed by a classmate for being a lesbian. Jae-yeong is certain that her mother will never understand her identity, and she puts up a wall between herself and her mother. Amidst the familial drama, Bok-soon has a falling out with her contract-killing company, and soon she finds herself targeted by her colleagues. What follows is a tumultuous ride of whacky fights and sincere emotions as Gil Bok-soon struggles to reconcile the duality of a killer and a mother. Immersive World Building Part of Kill Boksoon's biggest allure is its detailed and immersive assassin world with its own rules and lingo. Director Byun Sung-hyun says that he drew the vocabulary inspiration for Kill Boksoon from the Korean Entertainment Industry. In the movie, an assassination is referred to as a show, a murder plan is a script, the first killing assignment is a debut, and contract-killing companies are agencies. More fascinatingly, Kill Boksoon has also created a sort of Hogwarts for assassins, where aspiring killers practice and hone their skills, hoping to intern and debut beside a prominent assassin one day. These trainees look up to and idolize eminent assassins as a novice actor would idolize an established one. While John Wick has centralized and almost dictatorial governance over the Assassin universe, Kill Boksoon's world has a corporate capitalistic structure to it. Various contract killing agencies engage in a friendly competition to bag the most high-profile cases. And there are sacred rules in place to ensure a semblance of order within the chaos. All the rules were contributed by MK Entertainment, the biggest contract-killing firm in South Korea. But, intentionally or otherwise, these rules placed MK as the top assassin firm, causing the rest of the firms to fight for scraps. Naturally, the assassins from competing firms aren't too happy with the status quo, and often, within the safety of a cozy restaurant, they rant about their menial wages and unfair systems, blaming Mk Entertainment for their hardships. Sharing these stories emerge as a bonding activity, and it's apparent that there is a sense of comradery and respect between assassins from competing agencies. And yet, no matter how many stories they exchange or how intimate they get, none of the assassins would hesitate from slitting the throat of their fellow companion if it meant climbing up the corporate ladder. A Domestic Drama at Its Core For all its intricate world-building and spectacular fight scenes, however, Kill Boksoon is a mother-daughter drama at its core. It's this sincere drama that grounds the movie and provides it with a lively pulse. For all the prowess and confidence Bok-soon carries in her professional life, she is just as doubtful about her own parenting skills. Bok-soon is desperate to shelter her daughter, Jae-yeong, from the violent world to ensure she doesn't follow her mother's path, but more often than not, Bok-soon's professional life unwittingly seeps into her motherly wisdom. For instance, when Bok-soon offers constructive suggestions for Jae-yeong's upcoming debate, she tells her to watch the opponent to see if they flinch, and if they do, "destroy them with everything you've got." But Jae-yeong doesn't have an appetite for unjustified brutality, and she often calls her mum out for privileging violent victory over peace. And in these moments of forced self-awareness, Bok-soon realizes the presence of an insurmountable barrier that keeps her emotionally distant from her daughter. Bok-soon deems it necessary to hide her true self from her daughter, accepting that it's the only way to preserve their relationship. But as Bok-soon later learns, Jae-yeong is a lesbian, leading a life filled with just as many complexities and dualities as her mother. And when Jae-yeong finally reveals her true identity, Bok-soon doesn't know how to deal with it. She crumbles under the weighty awkwardness of having to discuss her daughter's sexuality and instead chooses to flee, feigning a professional emergency. With many such palpitating emotional beats, Kill Boksoon is brutally honest about the emotional struggles of motherhood, which is a refreshing take on a genre that often glorifies and romanticizes motherhood. Throughout the film, Bok-soon is seen doubting if she's really qualified to be a mother and if she needs to sacrifice her career to become a better mother. At certain points, Bok-soon actively avoids her daughter, partially because she doesn't know how to talk with a teenager and party because she is ashamed of her chosen career. In the end, though, Bok-soon and Jae-yeong are able to patch things out as they both learn to accept themselves and, in the process, each other. All it took was a little honesty and empathy.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Remains of Medal of Honor recipient killed in the Korean War identified nearly 73 years laterThe remains of a U.S. Army corporal killed during the Korean War have been identified nearly 73 years after he was declared missing and was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery, U.S. and South Korean officials say.
Read more »
The guest list for the State Dinner honoring South Korean President Yoon Suk YeolThe guests invited to attend Wednesday night’s State Dinner at the White House for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Read more »
South Korean President Yoon meets with Tesla's Elon MuskSouth Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday in Washington to call for investment in his country, Yoon's office said.
Read more »
WATCH: South Korean president serenades Biden with 'American Pie'President Joe Biden was on the receiving end of a personal concert when South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol grabbed a microphone and serenaded his American counterpart at Wednesday's White House state dinner.
Read more »
South Korean president warns Congress of North Korean nuclear threatSouth Korean President President Yoon Suk Yeol warned of global threats while praising the alliance between the U.S. and Korea.
Read more »
Massive black hole dubbed ‘scary Barbie’ photographed devouring a starAstronomers have detected the interstellar event created by a massive black hole devouring a star — with scientists calling “Scary Barbie” one of the most powerful cosmic displays ever …
Read more »