A Dirty Carnival (Biyeolhan geori)

2007

A Dirty Carnival (Biyeolhan geori)

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TOMATOMETER

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83%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 1,904

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Movie Info

A small time thug collecting debts for the local triad is torn between his criminal aspirations and his devotion to family in writer/director Yoo Ha's epic crime drama. Byeong-du (Jo In-seong) is a twenty-nine year-old Seoul gangster who's looking to rise up through the ranks. Though his ambition is unmistakable, Byeong-du finds his family's financial problems taking a heavy emotional tool as he attempts to intimidate the locals into paying off their lingering debts. It seems that a local real-estate developer is attempting to pressure Byeong-du's mother into selling the family home, but Byeong-du's boss Sang-cheol (Yun je-mun) can't be bothered to care about the problems of his low-level cog. When a rival gang shows up looking to put the hurting on Byeong-du's gang, Sang-cheol blatantly violates the gangster code and Byeong-du becomes right hand man to powerful crime kingpin Hwang Heui-jang (Cheon Ho-jin). Later, after cementing his loyalty to Hwang by killing a local prosecutor, Byeong-du runs into former school chum Min-ho (Nam-gung Min). It seems that Min-ho is about to shoot a gangster film, but first he needs some help getting the script finished. Unfortunately for all involved, Byeong-du's fateful decision to help out his old friend will have tragic consequences.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Drama, Mystery & Suspense
Directed By:

Yoo Ha
Written By:

Yoo Ha
In Theaters:

Apr 25, 2007 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

May 20, 2008
Runtime:

141 minutes
Studio:

CJ Entertainment

Cast

Jo In-Seong
as Byeong-du

Cheon Ho-jin
as Hwang Heui-jang

Nam-gung Min
as Min-ho

Lee Bo-yeong
as Hyun-ju

Je-mun Yun
as Sang-chul

Ho-jin Chun

Jin Gu

Hyo-jun Park

Heo Yi-jae

Cho Jin-woong

Gweon Tae-weon

Nam Koong Min

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Critic Reviews for A Dirty Carnival (Biyeolhan geori)

All Critics (2) | Fresh (2)

Yoo Ha directs film seemingly in the usual motif of the rise and fall of a criminal anti-hero, but he enriches it with plenty of drama while he focuses on the repercussions of violence and criminal life in the psychosynthesis of the main character

March 8, 2019 | Full Review…

Panos Kotzathanasis
Asian Movie Pulse
The film may not be a knockout, but it's still one hell of a punch.

June 5, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

David Cornelius
DVDTalk.com

View All Critic Reviews (2)

Audience Reviews for A Dirty Carnival (Biyeolhan geori)

Feb 06, 2014

[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]

Directors C Super Reviewer
Oct 17, 2010

Korean gangster film. Byung-du, a gangster since school, is moving his way up the ladder, but finds his violent lifestyle at odds with those he left behind, like his family his former sweetheart Hyun-Joo and his old friend Min-Ho, who wants to make a film about gangsters but needs his help to make it authentic, Entertaining enough, though it felt like too many plots from too many gangster films were being squeezed in to one storyline...- and then squeezed out again. And not a patch on A Bittersweet LIfe for showing a conflicted anti-hero. So if you haven't seen that yet, watch that instead. .

Lesley N Super Reviewer
Oct 17, 2009

GREAT gangster flick.The Korean Godfather

Brody M Super Reviewer
Nov 11, 2008

A desperate young gangster moves up the criminal ladder while simultaneously trying to reignite relationships from his more innocent school days. It desperately wants to be the Korean GODFATHER, but the characters/scenario/milieu aren't unique enough to justify its epic running time.

Greg S Super Reviewer