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Starring
:
Shin
Eun Kyung
Park
Sang Myeon
Ahn
Jae Mo
Kim
In Kwon
Action
:
Yuen
Jung
Producer
:
Soon
Yeoul Lee
Director
:
Cho
Jin Gyu
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MY
WIFE IS A GANGSTER (2001)
A.K.A.
- My Wife Is Gangster
Reviewed
by Phil Mills
Mantis
is a leading figure within the local triads having acquired a
formidable reputation by utilising her remarkable skills in
the Martial Arts. Her unforgiving attitude does have one
weakness though in the form of her sister who means the world
to her but is sadly dying of cancer. As the end looms
near, Mantis' sister informs her that her final wish is for
Mantis to take a husband before she dies so arrangements must
be made quickly. Being inexperienced in relationships,
Mantis gets her lackeys to find a suitable candidate and then
approaches this dilemma like she would any problem; full on
and with brute force. She soon realises that
relationships cannot be controlled like a fight and she must
work hard to keep it together, even if it is only to keep her
sister happy. However, it's not so easy to juggle a life
of crime and keep your partner satisfied as Mantis soon
discovers.
'My
Wife Is A Gangster' opens with a bang as our heroine takes on
a horde of bad guys in a frenetically paced and highly
competent kung fu fight that you would assume sets the pace
for the entirety of the flick. Unfortunately though,
this glimpse of exceptional choreography is in the minority
and the film soon strays from the implied action-fest into a
mix of comedy and drama. This cacophony of styles is
probably what makes 'My Wife Is A Gangster' so frustrating as
every time it seems poised to push it up a notch you are
confronted by a change of genres which just leaves the viewer
confused and unfulfilled. It's a bold decision to
attempt to include so many different styles and we know that
if done correctly it can create a masterpiece but sadly, for
'My Wife Is A Gangster' it only results in a film that shows
hints of magic but doesn't really excel in any particular
area.
This
is not to say that this film is completely devoid of merit as
there are still several reasons to recommend it.
Firstly, the acting from everyone is nothing short of superb
with a particularly impressive performance from leading lady
Shin Eun Kyung. The part of Mantis would have been a
difficult role for an accomplished actress let alone a
relative newcomer such as Kyung but she pulls off each aspect
of her character to perfection and even manages to demonstrate
a competent ability in the action department. Comedy is
also high on the agenda for this film and, even though it's
not laugh-a-minute material, it does enough to keep the film
flowing. However, as is common with foreign films, I
would assume that some of the jokes are lost in the
translation or predominantly based on aspects of Korean
culture. Last but by no means least, you have the action
which is perhaps the most wasted opportunity of the entire
film. What little we see is expertly crafted and brings
back memories of what Hong Kong used to do so well (and will
hopefully do again) but it's just such a shame that there is
so little of it! Still, its good while it lasts and well
worth taking note of as those responsible will surely utilise
their skills in future projects.
Overall,
'My Wife Is A Gangster' is a fun film that is highly watchable
and another example of why Korea is churning out the most
exciting cinema of the moment. It's just a shame that
this example is not quite as good as the sum of it's parts and
disappoints in far too many aspects for it ever to rise above
the three star mark. Still, a brave attempt but
hopefully lessons have been learned.
Rating:
 
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