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Released By: Well Go USA
Released On: July 7, 2015
Director: Park Sang-Jun
Cast:Park Sung-Woong, Lee Min-ki, Lee Tae-Im
Year: 2014
The Film:
Some people have to fight their way through life just to survive. Others have everything handed to them on a platter, but find that it's still not good enough for them. MVP pitcher Lee Hwan, for example, has fame and money to spare, but the allure of even more cash leads him into an ugly mix of fixing baseball games for the local mob. Unfortunately for Hwan, a police raid ends both of his careers as professional athlete and gambler, and he finds himself broke and shamed by the media.
A helping hand in the form of a job opportunity comes from a shady contact at loan (shark) company Emperor Capital, and Hwan goes to work for boss Sang-ha, working with a crew to collect outstanding debts. After proving himself to be more than adequate when he beats a stubborn borrower half-to-death with a fish, Hwan finds himself the new star of the organization; invited out to fancy dinners with the executives, handed a fancy car, new clothes, and he's even put in charge of sports booking. Hwan and his crew are so effective, in fact, that other gangs in Busan can't compete, and they're swiftly taken over by Emperor in violent, bloody battles.
Everything is going swimmingly for Hwan, and then he meets the beautiful Madame Cha, who has been selling her body to pay off a debt to Emperor Capital. Convinced that he is in love, he tells Sang-ha that he will assume her debt, something that doesn't sit well with the boss. Convinced that this is a sign of Hwan turning his back on his mentor, Sang-ha makes Madame Cha disappear, a move that Hwan reacts to poorly. A power struggle between the two guarantees that there will be a whole lot of violence in the very near future, complicated by the parole of Sang-ha's most notorious opponent.
Well Go has been doing a great job of late, showcasing Korean cinema as some of the freshest and most exciting film to come down the pipe in a long while. For The Emperor, however, is not one of those fresh and exciting films. The premise is cookie-cutter gangster, and outside of very few instances, does nothing to improve on the genre. It's not a bad film at all, and difficult to identify anything distasteful, with decent acting and a nice aesthetic; but the film meanders from scene to scene and gives no impression that it's actually doing anything. Though the action scenes are superbly shot and do get the heart rate up, they are few and far between. And the filler in between takes things so far down, the film never maintains a good pace, making it a bit of a chore to sit through. A strange attempt at a plot twist holds a little promise, but comes so close to the end of the film that there's no chance to go anywhere with it. We've seen these characters a million times before; having them do something interesting would have been a good plan.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Well Go brings For The Emperor to blu-ray in a 2.35:1 transfer that looks fantastic. The film, like so many recent others in the genre, maintains a bluish hue throughout, with heavy blacks and a lot of night scenes. Clarity and detail are great, with solid contrast, and daylight scenes that really pop. The DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 track is equally as impressive, with tasteful but frequent use of the surrounds and LFE channel. No hisses, pops or crackles are present, and the track exhibits good dynamic range.
A Trailer for the film and a Preview roll of other Well Go titles are also provided.
The Final Word:
With all of the amazing films coming out of Korea, For The Emperor is a disappointing, mediocre work. For fans of the film, however, the Well Go USA blu-ray looks and sounds great.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
