Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Review on Movie- Hwayi: A Monster Boy 화이: 괴물을 삼킨 아이

Winter months are always wet and cold so I've decided to find a good movie flick to watch on a cold Tuesday night. I've managed to watch this 2013 Korea movie 화이: 괴물을 삼킨 아이 (Hwayi: A Monster Boy

A very dark and intriguing story about 5 group of serial killers kidnapped a little boy and he was raised until he was 16 years old. Hwayi is named after the special tree found in Jeju-do.He is no ordinary boy as what young teenagers do at school. He has never attended public schools instead all he learned was shooting, fighting and tactics on surviving in the rough world. He is still innocent and naive, basically he was meek as a lamb in front of his 5 'so-called fathers'. He stumbles across a sweet girl Yoo Kyung who is happy go lucky but he has to turn away from her since he leads a different lifestyle. 

Hwayi kept having nightmares as if he he was chased by a monster either in dreams or whenever he's kept in the dark. Leader Seok Tae is furious yet stern in coaching him to overcome his weaknesses. Jin Seong is more of the planner and wants to send Hwayi away from their dangerous mission. There's Ki Tae the expert driver father who always care for Hwayi in many ways protecting him. Dong Bum is one maniac killer and gambling
addict. Youngest killer Bum Soo is more like a pal to Hwayi than a father. There's Young Joo, a disabled woman who lives with them and often looks after Hwayi like her own son. 
One day Hwayi was forced to pull the trigger towards an elderly man Im Hyung Taek who happens to be his real father! When he discovered that he was the long lost missing child from Im family he was guilt ridden that he killed his own father and his mother is very ill.  He saved his mother out from the killers with Yoo Kyung's help. One snotty detective Chang is a pain in the butt as he tries to unfold the mystery of these serial killers. 

Vowing to revenge on his kidnappers that turned him into a monster, he used all the skills he has learned from them to pay them back. Jin Seong was the first to be killed, then Hwayi plotted in way he lured the 4 of them to the den where they had to fight with the cement company CEO Kim and his minions who wanted Im Hyung Taek dead. Dong Bum and Bum Soo died in the massive attack. Ki Tae tried to stop Hwayi from shooting Seok Tae instead he fell to his own death near the construction area. Seok Tae was so angry that he killed Hwayi's mother at the hospital. Young Joo begged Seok Tae to spare Hwayi and let him go.
Instead he was beating her up at home. Hwayi returns to save Young Joo from being hurt.
When Detective Chang shot Hwayi in the arm, Seok Tae went berserk that no one should shoot his son. Seok Tae intends to keep Hwayi and get rid of Young Joo. Hwayi shed the last tear before pulling the trigger at the man whom he called 'father' for so many years.

The horror of all have ended. Hwayi moved on with his life and promised to send Yoo Kyung a portrait he drew for her including an expensive model of camera. She fails to find him around as he left abruptly. The final scene concluded where the evil CEO Kim was doing an opening ceremony for some event. From a far away building, with accurate sniper skills Hwayi shot him dead on the head. At last Hwayi has taken revenge on all those who turned him into a monster. He walked away wearing headphones, slinging around a hard guitar case but inside it's filled with a long sniper gun.

The entire cast with the PD Jang Joon Hwan in the middle
The movie has won several awards in 2013's 34th Blue Dragon Awards, Korean Culture and Entertainment Award, 2014's 5th KOFRA Film Awards and Director Cut's Award.
Hwayi was well portrayed by teen actor Yeo Jin Goo and he has done all the fighting and action scenes. Veteran actors Kim Yoon Suk, Jo Jin Woong, Jang Hyun Sung, Kim Sung Kyun and Park Hae Joon played as the 5 serial killers. I was quite surprised to see Yoo Yoon Seok was the Secretary Park Ji Won who works under CEO Kim. The killing bloody gory scenes were interesting yet it makes the audience feel the pain when Hwayi found out he killed his own family. 

I am rather impressed with the action scenes and thumbs up for the PD who directed it with the wonderful cast who played their roles so well.

Usually I am not into murder case movies, but I rate the movie 8/10 stars. 

** Also when actor Jang Hyun Sung was part of Return of Superman variety show, he brought his two sons to meet up with the fellow casts. His sons were quite a character as their eyes sparkled up upon meeting up with Yeo Jin Goo rather than the other older actors. Eldest Jun Woo was smiling away when Yeo tells him he will visit them more often to play around. His youngest Jun Seo took the video camera focus on his new 'hyung' rather than his own father. LOL! ** 




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