Coming from the hands of Byun Sung Hyun, today we bring you our review of the movie Kill Bok Soon starring the amazing Jeon Doyeon and Sol Kyunggu among the rest of the talented cast.
Halfway through Kill Bok Soon, I have realized the movie reminded me a lot of the The Merciless (which also starred Sol Kyunggu) when it comes to its directing and overall vibe only to see that it was actually written by the same screenwriter/director Byun Sung Hyun who also has PS. I Love You (which I never reviewed for some reason apparently) under his belt. Turns out that with the exception of Kingmaker, I have watched all the movies he has written which is kind of cool! The Merciless remains one of my all time favourites so it’s no wonder Kill Bok Soon also had a very cinematic, intriguing vibe to it, although it lacked in its plot compared to the mentioned movie. Nevertheless, it was an interesting experience so let’s review!
From MyDramaList: Gil Bok Soon is a single mother. She is also a lethal killer, with a 100% success rate on contract killings. She works for M.K. Ent, which is run by Cha Min Kyu. He has trained Gil Bok Soon as a killer, and they hold mutual respect for each other. At the same time, Gil Bok Soon is aware that Cha Min Kyu is a dangerous person who can take away everything from her. Cha Min Hee is the younger sister of Cha Min Kyu, and she works as an executive at M.K. Ent. She doesn’t show her feelings to other people. Han Hee Sung is a killer for M.K Ent. He is highly skilled at his job, but he is not recognized by others for his work. Right before Gil Bok Soon is set to renew her contract, she gets involved in a kill-or-be-killed confrontation.
Possible minor spoilers ahead:
First of all, Jeon Doyeon can kick me in the face. While I liked her in the messy 2023 hit rom-com Crash Course in Romance (seriously, why was this the English title cause it makes no sense?), her role of Gil Bok Soon was everything. She really embodied the bad-ass vibes and delivered a great performance. While the cast is star-studded with names such as Sol Kyunggu, Esom, Koo Kyohwan and a cameo from the talented Lee Jaewook, it’s truly Jeon Doyeon and her character who moved and carried the entire film. Gil Bok Soon was an interesting, deeply twisted character who is trying to juggle her career as an assassin, life as a mother and feelings and fears of a normal human being. I think her character was very interesting and I wish we got more insights into her mind and the way her logic and ethics function. In a way, she will remind you of The Bride in Kill Bill (the name, the plot, everything is very much on brand) and I think she was the absolute highlight of the movie – which was the point. Her chemistry with everyone was also great and I enjoyed this aspect of the movie.
The plot is fairly easy to follow as it kicks in right away but there are a lot of somewhat unexpected twists (and loads of deaths) that keep the story moving and remaining interesting. I do, however, think that the movie doesn’t really have a clearly set goal and that’s why I feel like it ends a bit… anticlimactic in a way. It’s like you’re running miles and miles only to finish at the start once again. I see the vision the director had but I wish we got a bit more of the story after the final show down. It would’ve brought more depth to the characters and the finale as a whole.
However, the story is interesting and it had my attention until the end. I was a bit taken aback by some very incesty, bizarre moments (Esom’s character was overall weird) and the casual way death is approached here but I guess it makes sense when you’re in this line of work (not the incesty moments). I so, so wish we got more of the past Gil Bok Soon and Cha Min Kyu – not only because Park Sehyoon and Lee Jaewook were great at portraying them – but because it would’ve helped us understand them more. That was an aspect that deserved more depth.
The supporting characters are there and they do their best with what they’re presented. The movie includes some, for me, unexpected LGBTQA+ representation (very cool) but it’s not a very happy one nor is it explored in much depth or discussed as much as it should’ve had maybe so don’t expect much here. The killer-crew is packed with a lot of familiar faces but my advice is not to get too attached to anyone cause they’re all trying to kill each other anyway. Koo Kyohwan’s character is the one who stood out the most from the killer-crew and he proves once again that he’s a great, expressive actor. Esom’s character traumatized me but Lee Yeon’s Yeong Ji was there to balance the weirdness out. The supporting characters don’t really contribute much but they do help the plot move forward.
Kill Bok Soon was interesting, with a great cast and a good, albeit already worn out premise, but the lack of story goal was noticeable for me and kind of left the movie feel like it didn’t even need to exist. I can’t say that I finished it feeling like I’ve experienced something special or emotional but I do think that it’s a solid piece of action and revenge that could’ve been explored more. The directing and the overall production of the movie was fantastic though and you can really see that they knew what they were doing so at least visually you won’t be let down. In the end, this is a 7.75/10 for me but let it be known – I support women’s rights, but I also support women’s wrongs.
Header Image Source: Netflix
