Puzzle

Rating NR Formats DVD Genre foreign Starring Moon Sung-Keun, Ju Jin-Mo, Hong Seok-Chun Directed by Kim Tae-Kyung Publisher Cj Entertainment

While Puzzle by itself seems like an intriguing mystery film, it can’t decide whether or not to be a remake of the Tarantino classic Reservior Dogs.  From the suits and sunglasses, to the aliases and failed robbery and group self-destruction in a warehouse, the movie was pure imitation.  The way it was told wasn’t very original either, being in non-linear format.  I felt like I had seen a better version of this film, with better dialogue that can only be written using American slang.  Besides a couple of interesting ideas, including a nifty twist at the end, I was watching a watered-down version of an American classic.  I’m guessing this is how other countries feel when American films rip off from their classics.

The basic plot lies around four strangers who are called to pull off a bank heist to steal certificates of deposit.  The boss in charge of the operation has been discovered burned to death in a warehouse, and without him the money can’t be deposited.  Soon, the suspicions rise to where nobody can trust each other, leading to the ultimate downfall of the group.

While some remakes work, this twist on Reservoir Dogs fails because it is missing some key ingredients.  Each individual in Puzzle didn’t seem to have much of a unique identity, and at times I found myself just watching four thugs rather than individuals with their own fears and doubts.  What was also obnoxious was that this film took itself way too seriously at times, whereas Reservoir Dogs was full of dark humor that gave it the edge Puzzle couldn’t quite project.

Occasionally, Puzzle would try to push the shock factor by actually showing burning flesh or making gun wounds as realistically bloody as possible.  These images felt like a distraction in order to give the film more male appeal because violence sells.  Never mind trying to make the characters more interesting, just show a guy getting his hands smashed by a sledgehammer.  The sound factor was just as provoking as the violence. The mouths on some of the characters spewed every obscenity known to man, but just felt trashy.  At least the constant foul language in Reservoir Dogs was funny at times.  

Nobody in the film gave a performance that was memorable or worth noting.  I felt like I was watching a handful of twitchy guys the entire time.  Nobody had much of a character arc, and I was watching the same people for ninety minutes.  After a while, I found myself sitting around bored, waiting for something unexpected to happen.  Luckily, the end of the film had a twist that was a refreshing surprise to the monotonous flow.  It was the one true piece of the film that had a life of its own without having to refer to Reservoir Dogs.

The shots in this film were mainly ripped right from Reservoir Dogs, including slow-motion strutting.  However, the shots taking place at night were lit too dimly, so much to the point where it was difficult to tell who was who amongst the silhouettes.  There is a technique known as highlighting, something which the filmmakers should’ve taken the time to utilize.  

There’s a reason why classics shouldn’t be touched, and it goes with the old saying:  If something isn’t broken, why fix it?  Reservoir Dogs is great just the way it is, so why was it necessary to be remade in another language?  In the future, writer/director Kim Tae-Kyung should be aware that there’s nothing wrong with borrowing some elements of other films, but to steal another movie completely and call it your own is going a little bit too far.  Just like the remake of War of the Worlds, there wasn’t much of a point for this movie to have been made.