It's quite perplexing. I can't grasp the intent behind the planning at all. The design itself is sloppy and lacks charm. It's noisy throughout but surprisingly bland. Even with Song Joong-ki's three-stage transformation into an outsider, it remains a dry, old-fashioned success story of the only son of a failed house, 'Bogotá: The Land of Last Chances' (Directed by Kim Sung-jae).
In 1997, unable to escape the aftershocks of the IMF crisis, Guk-hee (Song Joong-ki) and his family head to Bogotá, Colombia, on the other side of the world.
To survive in this unfamiliar land, Guk-hee starts working under Park Byeong-jang (Kwon Hae-hyo), who holds power in the Korean merchant association, and catches his eye early on. Caught between an incompetent father and a lethargic mother, Guk-hee must survive on his own, and he gets involved in a clothing smuggling operation as part of Park Byeong-jang's test, passing it with a daring act that risks his life.
This impression also strongly lingers in the mind of the broker, Soo-young (Lee Hee-joon). Ambitious Soo-young makes a secret proposal to the exceptional Guk-hee, and Park Byeong-jang, who senses this, devises a new plan to test Guk-hee once again.
At this crossroads, Guk-hee becomes increasingly bold, convinced that he can change the dynamics of the Korean community in Bogotá with his choices, and he yearns for greater success. The young man, who was merely struggling to survive, soon becomes filled with desire. He thought he was moving toward a broader world, but instead, he finds himself trapped in a small community, experiencing constant internal strife.
Song Joong-ki portrays Guk-hee from a 19-year-old boy adapting to a foreign land to a 20-something young man growing in ambition, and finally to a 30-something adult who becomes the president of the Korean merchant association and tastes power. His performance is neither good nor bad, nor is it new. Fragments of his previous title roles ('Vincenzo', 'The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate') flash by or are stitched together (awkwardly). There’s nothing special about it, and the thought of 'again...!' lingers. There’s a palpable obsession with 'darkness' or 'lethality'.
Veteran actors Kwon Hae-hyo, Kim Jong-soo, Park Ji-hwan, Lee Hee-joon, and Jo Hyun-cheol add energy, but since the foundation itself is weak, it cannot be properly filled. Perhaps due to having seen tightly woven chronicle noir like 'Suriname' and 'Casino', the limitations are starkly revealed.
The backdrop of 'the land of opportunity' where money can solve everything, the power struggles within the Korean community, and the tumultuous survival story of an outsider are all things we've seen before. Above all, the development jumps around like a time slip, lacking coherence, so there’s no thrill or tension. Even with twists upon twists, it cannot be more bland than this. Shouting outdated slang like 'Asarabia Colombia' is just embarrassing.
While the actors' auras promise intense characters, they ultimately fail to ignite. In the tangled relationships, they merely mimic a plausible atmosphere, but when stripped away, it’s all bland. No matter how much they try to look good, it doesn’t shine. Unfortunately, there’s no savior to redeem the collapsed narrative.
Without unique traits or upgraded weapons, the incomprehensible 'Don't Trust, Kill' is repeated. This too is predictable. In a situation where cinematic imagination is overwhelmed by reality, it fails to show any presence at all. P.S. It seems survival in theaters will be even more difficult.
Releasing on December 31. Rated for ages 15 and up. Running time: 106 minutes. The break-even point is about 3 million.
