Speed Scandal [2008 DVDRip]
Original name: Kwasok scandle
Director: Hyeong-Cheol Kang
Writer: Hyeong-Cheol Kang (screenplay)
Release
Date: 3 December 2008 (South Korea)
Genre: Comedy | Drama
| Music
Plot: A radio DJ/entertainer in his 30s suddenly
learns he may be a grandfather, thanks to a young girl who has a baby
son and claims to be his daughter.
This is largely due to the
huge success of his role in "My Sassy Girl," which opened the floodgates
for the Korean Wave of cinema across Asia. This cuts both ways,
however.
Cha comes back to the big screen with another comic role
in "Speed Scandal (Gwasok Scandal)," to be released on Dec. 4. It is
hardly surprising that he plays a character who is supposed to create,
well, comic relief.
What's surprising, though, is that he has
accepted a role whose identity is somewhat similar to his own
experiences as a leading star in Korea. In the film, directed by Kang
Hyung-chul, Cha plays Nam Hyun-su, a former idol who captured the hearts
of teenage fans.
Yes, he "was" a big star in the good ole days,
but he is now in his mid-30s, and his star power has significantly
diminished.
But Nam retains some of his recognition. That is why
he keeps a DJ post at a local radio show, a situation which may remind
local audiences of numerous other Korean entertainers who have followed a
similar path.
Things begin to turn drastically comic, or absurd,
when a young woman named Jeong-nam (played by Park Bo-young) shows up
and claims to be Nam's daughter. The movie's title, "Speed Scandal,"
becomes clearer at this point because the central plot turn involves the
male character's "speeding" during his past relationship.
The
problem is, Nam has no memory of Jeong-nam, who begins to pop up
everywhere and proclaim her wretched situation, to the embarrassment of
the former idol.
It remains to be seen whether Cha pulls off a
box-office success with his latest comic role, but what's certain is
that it's time for Cha to reinvent his image and break the mold.
Early
last year, he tried to tweak the formula a bit by playing a singer in
"Highway Star (Bokmyeon dalho)." In the movie, co-directed by Kim
Sang-chan and Kim Hyeon-soo, Cha jumped into the terrain of melodramatic
Korean pop songs - a genre known here as "trot" that is quite similar
in melody and lyrics to Japanese melodramatic enka songs - but the
results at the box office were hardly inspiring.
"Speed Scandal,"
which is partly about life's timing, will demonstrate whether Cha still
maintains public appeal because his box-office power has steadily
declined since "My Sassy Girl."
The outlook remains largely
negative, however. For all the peculiar plot and details, "Speed
Scandal" does not attempt to redefine Cha's image. Rather, it sticks to
his decade-long silver-screen persona.
In recent years, "My Girl
and I," "Two Guys," "Happy Erotic Christmas" relied on Cha's trademark
comic talent but failed to win laughs in the end.