Web comic based film has a new teacher, and former fighter with anger issues, taking on the bully of the school and his minions by wearing a cat mask and kicking ass.
This exploration of school violence in Korea is a compelling thriller with doses of humor. The fights are brutal and bone crushing with the outcome of it all very likely to make you cheer.
What is troubling about the film is that the film seems to be a brutal take down of the violence that, at least according to Korean cinema, is rampant in the country. The school where this all goes down is the leading one in the nation for anti-bullying. At the start of the film we are told how great it is, something we then instantly learn is a lie as we see how rampant the violence is. It's a deeply troubling film in its way because it very clearly shows that under the shiny veneer there is extreme ugliness. Considering what we see in other Korean action films it makes you wonder why anyone would want to go there.
...I'm probably over reading things...
Taken on it's own terms and as a stand alone action film BRAVE CITIZEN is a solid little thriller. The bad guys are bad. The good guys aren't perfect but the sort of people we want to root for. The film has danger in that all of the violence leaves marks and bruises so you don't know what is going to happen to anyone. It's a solid film where you'll want to curl up with a bowl of popcorn and see how it comes out.
Recommended.
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