Tough as Iron (2013)

Aka Tough as Iron, I just had the pleasure to go see, thanks to tickets from C&J Entertainment. It was an honor and privilege to see a wonderfully told story. Yoo Ah In, as usually with his handsome self was tremendous as Gang Chul. He projected his love and care for his alzheimer mother, played by Kim Hae Sook in such a way to totally touch your heart. When I watched, I couldn't imagine having the patients and ability to care for my mother in the same way; even though I love her dearly!.

Kim Jeong Tae as the gang boss, Sang Gon; as usually, he plays bad well but let me give HIGH praise to Kim Sung Oh who plays Whi Gon, Sang's brother and supposed bodyguard. As the stuttering and evil brother of Sang, I must tell you he excelled! When he was stuttering his words, I wonder how much he practiced for that because it was done so well, I just wanted to help him finish his sentences! Yes, it was perfect.

The other characters of Jong Soo, played by Lee Shi Un and Soo Ji played by Jung Yu Mi (my first experience seeing her), both served their purposes well. Jong Soo, the misguided and downright stupid friend, even though he made poor choices, he was heart was in it. The romance between Soo Ji and Gang Chul was really not explored because the real romance was between mother and son.

This really was a well written and cast movie and I look forward to looking at it again.

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Three coincidences equals Fate or lazy writing

Tough as Iron with Yoo Ah In was a film with an identity crisis. At its heart it was a movie that seemed inspired by Gilbert Grape right down to the opening scene. To make it more exciting they threw in gangsters and the Yakuza. Then for good measure they wedged in a love story. Sometimes too much is too much.

According to the synopsis Gang Cheol was a legendary street fighter. Maybe it was Sesame Street? The fight scenes weren't very well choreographed and his most powerful skill was a killer stare. Cheol's life entailed a job working on the docks and caring for his mother. His mom often accompanied him so that she wouldn’t wander off, which she still managed to do quite often. Not only did she have dementia, she was a diabetic with kidney failure. Cheol went to great lengths trying to find a way for her to receive a transplant. Cheol’s buddy, Jong Soo, wanted to be somebody and get rich so he joined a gang with a sashimi loving boss with a hotheaded brother. Of course, the trouble magnet entangled Cheol with his criminal co-workers. In moments when he wasn’t dealing with his mother, his troublesome friend, working, trying to find 100,000 won for his mom's surgery, or dealing with the gangsters, Cheol ran into a pretty photographer visiting Busan which meant it had to be fate.

The gangster angle was weak and took away from the relevant story of Cheol and his mother. Maybe the writers felt that Gilbert Grape would have been more interesting if he’d gotten mixed up with gangsters instead of planning a birthday party. The romance in this film wasn’t a lifeline or an insight into a better life, it seemed more like vacant window dressing. Yoo Ah In and Kim Hae Sook had wonderful chemistry together. There was more than enough story to tell as they navigated the stage in life when the child becomes the parent with little time for himself. This story could have used a romantic involvement to show him what he was missing. But Tough As Iron’s incoherent gangster escapades pulled too much focus from the heart of the film leaving no room for a well-developed love story.

Tough as Iron had the potential to be a powerful and meaningful film, especially with the caliber of actors involved. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the interplay between Cheol and his mother, the good days, the bad days, the exhaustion, heartache, and love. I found their relationship much more fascinating than a maniacal killer who stuttered.

5 February 2024

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