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A Taxi Driver
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Movie:
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As a massive fan of Asian cinema in general and a big supporter of Well Go USA as an independent studio bringing in more Asian films than 3-4 of the other studios combined, I had a massive amount of excitement over A Taxi Driver coming to the United States. I new the basic premise from a year ago, but it wasn’t until the film festivals started garnering much praise for the film that I really was stoked to watch the film. The film details the issues of the infamous Gwan-Ju massacre in South Korea, as told by a little known Taxi driver who ferried around German journalist Jurgen Hinzpeter as he filmed the devastating incident. A Taxi Driver is sweet, slightly goofy, but so incredibly powerful and emotion filled that by the end of the 2 hours and 17 minutes of runtime you’re snuffling into your handkerchief and hoping no one is watching you cry.
The year is 1980, and South Korea has just come out of 18 years of dictatorship. However, democracy and freedom is not yet on the table for the fledgling government, as General Chun Doo-hwan steps into the power vacuum with a military coup. His harsh hand has led to mass protesting by students and younger people alike, and the military leader sends in his troops to quell the rebellion. A situation that sets off a ticking time bomb in the town of Gwan-Ju.
Sa-bok Kim (Kang-ho Song) is a selfish, penny pinching miser of a taxi driver just trying to make his way in Seoul. He’s a widower of some years with a pre-teen daughter, so his taxi fares are all that keep his family afloat (if if only barely). Still, he is 4 months behind on rent, his daughter is getting into fights, and his beat up old taxi cab is starting to come to the end of its lifespan. This changes when he catches wind of a foreigner who will pay 100,000 won (the equivalent of $90 at the time, and also the equivalent of his 4 months of rent) to be ferried to the town of Gwan-Ju. At this point, Sa-bok Kim has no knowledge of anything happening in Gwan-ju besides not hearing anything from them, but this foreigner turns out to be German journalist Jurgen Hinzpeter (Thomas Kretschmann), who is there to investigate WHY Gwan-Ju has suddenly gone dark. Transporting the journalist to the city in question, Kim soon finds out that he’s bitten off a bit more than he can chew.
The town is guarded by soldiers, and he’s ready to turn back, but Jurgen’s enticement of the 100,000 won is enough to force the penny pinching cab driver to find a back way into the city. When they get there, it’s obvious that the silence is more than just a coincident. The entire town is under siege as the protesters are getting dragged away and beaten by the martial law enforcing soldiers. As Jurgen Hinzpeter films the events live in order to tell the world, Kim is forced to push outside of his own life and watch in horror as his own government commits an atrocity so sickening that it will LITERALLY turn the world on its ear out of sheer horror.
The film doesn’t go into the political and sociological depths of the creation of the Gwan-Ju massacre, but it keeps it fairly straight forward and simple, which actually makes it more palatable for a western audience that may not be so familiar with the incident (for someone who wants a more nuanced view of the events leading up to the massacre, I would suggest The Old Garden, or Peppermint Candy, or May 18). Despite a vicious assault on the protesters by the paratroopers midway through the film, A Taxi Driver doesn’t revel in the vicious and explosive actions of May 18. Instead showing the brutality of the military through the constant assault on the press, as well as the disgusting twisting of the truth through propaganda by those in charge. A move which gives a more emotional plea to the plight of those suffering, and works as a catalyst for Kim’s own political awakening.
What makes the true story so fascinating is that Hinzpeter never actually was able to meet Kim after he left the country. He tried, but even up until his death in 2016 he never was able to find out what happened to the taxi driver who ferried him around and enabled him to capture the video of what happened. However, a man claiming to his the driver’s son has come forth in the last year or so and given information about what happened to the driver, which was the fuel to create the movie to begin with (it’s the first film since the 2006 film May 18 that has centered around the Gwan-Ju massacres).
Rating:
Not Rated by the MPAA
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A Taxi Driver is fairly simplistic at heart, but the top notch performances of Kang-ho Song and Thomas Kretschmann really drive the film forward. Kang-ho Song proves once again that he can do no wrong, and literally brings to life Kim in such a way that you can’t take your eyes off of him. The fast paced nature of the long movie, combined with a compelling story and the great acting make this film one of the best of 2017, and probably my favorite film review of 2018 (so far at least). Well Go USA has given us a great looking and sounding Blu-ray, with the only major caveat being the complete lack of any substantial extras (this film just begs for the Hintzpeter interview, or some in depth analysis of the Gwan-Ju event). Still, don’t let that dissuade you from watching a must see film. Highly recommended.
Technical Specifications:
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Thomas Kretschmann, Hae-jin Yoo
Directed by: Hun Jang
Written by: Yu-na Eom
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: Korean: DTS-HD MA 5.1, Korean DD 2.0
Subtitles: English
Studio: Well Go USA
Rated: NR
Runtime: 137 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: April 17th, 2018
Recommendation: Must Watch
