Style trumps substance in Kill Boksoon, a thriller set in a John Wick universe of corporate killers. Jeon Do-yeon stars as Boksoon, at home a single mom struggling to connect with her teen daughter Gae-yon. On the job she’s a world-class assassin competing with rivals for top billing with MK Enterprises.
An opening scene set on a rainswept city street pits Boksoon, dressed in a manga-fantasy pink outfit, against a triad swordsman. It’s a cunning sequence with good stunts and a smattering of humor, and it sets the tone for the rest of the film: satire mixed with blood, death as a joke.
Director Byun Sung-hyun raises good points about a pitiless social system that grinds up workers while offering them the illusion of security. Corporate killers meet in a dingy bar for fast food and beer; their overlords plot cutting their pay or pitting them against each other in lavish office headquarters. Each side worries about ratings for their “shows,” or killings.
Byun also zeroes in on teen issues, notably bullying, gender awareness, and the inability of teachers to do anything but spout platitudes. Boksoon’s family life seems to be taking place in a different movie, one with small goals and real emotions. My favorite shot in the film (Byun told me it was his too) finds Boksoon sitting on the left of a couch; her daughter Gil Jae-young (played by Kim Si-A) faces the other way. As the camera pushes in, they remain set in their poses, with no way of connecting.
Byun cleverly lets Boksoon imagine different outcomes to situations, like when she finds cigarettes in her daughter’s things. Should she be a “good” mom and ground her? Boksoon’s plays out a scenario that’s just as bad and ineffective as if she were a “bad” mom. In fact, none of Boksoon’s visions end well.
Meanwhile the action increases in violence and intimacy. Bystanders are killed, friends are killed, even lovers as Boksoon sustains her standing as the corporation’s top gun. The stunts get wilder and more complicated, but they fail to build the narrative drive and logic of a Plan 47 film. We’re left judging Kill Boksoon against Atomic Blonde, Gunpowder Milkshake, Kate, Ava and all the other attempts to depict women killers.
Other cast members perform well, with Esom a real standout as Cha Min-hee, a heartless MK leader. Jeon remains a delight throughout the film, whether executing stunts or coping with her daughter or dissing her encounter with ladies who lunch. She deserves better than an action vehicle made up of stolen parts.
Kill Boksoon screened in the Special section of this year’s Berlinale and streams on Netflix. My interview with Jeon and Byun: https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-movies/article/3215057/netflixs-kill-boksoon-star-jeon-do-yeon-huge-pressure-carrying-action-thriller-which-she-plays
