A slow-burn revenge drama that fizzles out in the end
If you tuned in for Ji Chang-wook and Lim Ji-yeon but stayed for the cat-and-mouse chase, you are not alone. Revolver is a 2024 South Korean movie by Oh Seung-uk and reunites him and actress Jeon Do-yeon who stars in the lead role as Sergeant Ha Su-yeong. The cast also includes familiar faces such as Ji Chang-wook as Andy, Lim Ji-yeon as Yun-seon, Kim Joon-han, Kim Jong-soo, Lee Jung-jae and Jeon Hye-jin.
The revenge drama follows former cop Su-yeong who is betrayed by the one she trusted as she takes the fall for the corrupt company, Eastern Promises. Once her prison sentence is over, the company fails to pay her reward and she sets out on a hunt to find the ones responsible, get what she is owed and also dish out revenge. On the way, she keeps running into the mysterious Jung Yun-seon who has her own agenda for helping Su-yeong.
Revolver uses a neo-noir aesthetic to match the pace and structure of the plot which is all about working behind the scenes and surreptitiously hunting down the bad guys. Against the gritty backdrop, the characters are dressed in colourful, satin outfits that fit their thuggish persona while the sheen of their clothes acts as a shield to hide their weaknesses.
The cinematography works double time to focus on symbolism with mirrors and colours to give it that stylistic execution. The movie does lose points in the audio department with that reality TV-esque rattle-snake sound effects during build-up scenes but it makes up with the star-studded cast so that we can happily ignore the background noise.
Jeon Do-yeon adds a touch of humanity to her no-nonsense Su-yeong but it is Lim Ji-yeon who steals the show as Yun-seon. She is spirited but cunning, sly but genuine as she plays all sides. Fans will also be excited to see Ji Chang-wook and Lee Jung-jae in morally dubious roles but unfortunately, their characters don’t amount to much.
Don’t get us wrong, it is always a joy to watch Chang-wook especially, as an antagonist but the script does him no favours as it ruins his character for the sake of a plot twist.
The script starts out strong as it keeps the suspense going for pretty much 80% of the runtime. There is Lee Jung-jae in a cameo role who has a complicated relationship with Do-yeon’s Su-yeong and is partially responsible for her predicament. Meanwhile, all the low-life thugs are tied to Eastern Promise and are sent to stop Su-yeong but they arrive at the same destination in different manners.
But by the time Su-yeon and the viewers untangle the mystery and connect the dots, the movie just…ends. To put it simply, Revolver is a slow-burn revenge drama that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Sure, everyone is running towards something and there is this constant sense of suspense as we wait for the other shoe to drop. But it never really does, even during the climax.
Some can argue that is the beauty of Revolver as the movie relegates the action to the sidelines in favour of character exploration. However, it feels as if all that scheming amounts to nothing in the end, leading to an unsatisfying finale.
Read More: Revolver Ending Explained
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Verdict - 6.5/10
6.5/10