review: fabricated city

Hi and welcome back!

Fyi I just finished the national-based school exam (which I think was sort of.... meh) and I'll be free for two weeks until the national exam comes. But anyways, I'm going to do another review, which is a movie review!

(well I won't be really free, though I still have to study for four subjects left and study for SBMPTN - in case worse thing happens... I hope not)

In order to cool down myself this evening, I decided to watch one of the movies that I had been dying to watch ever since. It is Fabricated City, one of the new Korean movies that came out this month, appoximately in the first week of March. I first discovered this movie after I found out more about Ji Chang Wook (for you who are into K-Wave, I'm pretty sure you know him as he's quite famous, if I'm not mistaken). I also first knew him from a Korean drama titled The K2, and I was amazed by his acting since then.

(and I had never thought that I would be interested in korean movie industry, or the drama series.)

Here you are brought to the story of Kwon Yu (Ji Chang Wook), an unemployment who spends his time playing action video games, along with other online players. On a night, he received a call from a phone whom the owner is unknown. The caller tells him to return her phone to the motel she stays. He goes to the motel, returns it to the owner, and received the reward for returning the phone. 

Then in the next morning, when he is asleep in his house, the cops break in and arrest him for committing sexual abuse and murder to the girl who asks him to return her phone in the motel. All evidences prove that he is the one who does it, and he's not able to defend himself because of it. Someone put a knife with blood on it and the investigators claim that the fingerprints on the evidences belongs to him. He actually does not do it - he is framed for doing such crime. 

He does not accept the fact that he has just done a sexual abuse and murdered the victim. However, he is sent to the prison and often get beaten by other prisoners, for not obeying the seniors in the prison. Being willing to prove that he is innocent, he tries to escape from the prison by hurting himself so he can be carried out of the prison to the hospital. On the way to the hospital, he successfully escapes and tries not to be recognized by the citizen. On his run, he tries to find out who frames him for committing crimes, with help from four gamers and hackers, and start to team up with them to discover it. 

I've got to say, I was very mesmerized with the plot. I think that makes this film really great. How could the author think of this kind of story? Five gamers trying to solve a crime to prove that Kwon Yu is innocent, just as how they play an action video game together - they first make plans and strategies. I thought 'oh so this is how gamers solve the crime. Quite mesmerizing tho'. The author also didn't make the storyline hard to be digested by our brain. However, it is also not light, since it has quite complex stories and confilcts. I'm 100% sure that I won't complain about the plot, because it's just really good and I enjoyed it very much as I love action, thriller and crime movies or books. 

(you'll get surprised when you know who's the one who frame him. yet i've guessed in the first 30 minutes and I was right. it should've been more shocking for the plot twist I guess)

And for the acting quality, I think Ji Chang Wook should be given two thumbs up. He brought more emotions in this movie. Not too far form The K2 where he successfully brought the same emotions. The author also successfully made Kwon Yu character really strong. But I just realized that he barely smiles in the entire movie (I even remember that he never laughs!) so it seems like it's a very serious movie. I wasn't surpised that he starred this kind of film, as he seems like he is the pro of action or crime dramas (see also Healer). My complain is to the other characters - the gamers, and other supporting characters. I'm pretty much sure that the actors and actresses have done the very good job to make this film. I think that the personalities in each character should've been more variative - except the villain and the girl who is one of the four gamers who helps Kwon Yu solve the case. The other three gamers, for example - I see that they're just the three same people who are funny and there are no more specific characters in each of them. But after all they're just really good when teaming up. The girl, one of the gamers, seems really cold and quiet, uses the same flat expression in the entire movie - except when she screams tho. One thing that makes her really cool in the team is she is the one who mostly takes charge of (you may call it) programming. 

And the villain - well the actor has successfully brought the acting as the crazy, psychotic human being. I won't tell any futher about the villain because (ehm) spoilers, ehehe. 

One thing that I've been asking, what is the villain's purpose of framing Kwon Yu? It's not explained and I don't know if the plot is done like that on purpose or not. I think it should've been explained.....

Overall, I can say that Fabricated City is very good for its plot and how it presents the action elements really well. I'm pretty sure that boys would probably enjoy watching this too. A notice for you out there, especially girls, who seeks for emotional, dramatic and romantic movies, this is not for you. I see no romance elements and I also think it doesn't need to be added to the film. For you who is also the lovers of actoin films, Fabricated City should be put in your bucket list.