"My Wife Is A Gangster"

("Jopok Manura 3") (South Korea)

A Showbox/Mediaplex release of a Hyunjin Cinema production. (International sales: Showbox, Seoul.) Produced by Lee Sun-yeol. Executive producers, Kim Woo-taek, Jeong Tae-seong. Directed by Jo Jin-gyu. Screenplay, Kim Eui-chan, Jeong Eui-mok, Gye Yun-shik.

With: Shu Qi, Lee Beom-su, Hyeon Yeong, Oh Ji-ho, Jo Heui-bong.
(Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese dialogue)

It's hardly fair to judge "My Wife Is a Gangster 3" by the franchise's standards as, effectively, it bears no relation to the two previous comedy-actioners starring actress Shin Eun-gyeong. But at any level, except as a vehicle for popular Korean comic Lee Beom-su ("Wet Dreams," "City of Violence"), pic is an over-long disappointment, showing the difficulties of merging the very different Hong Kong and South Korean action genres. Taiwan-born superbabe Shu Qi is sidelined in the title role, and action sequences are few and generally below par.

Biggest surprise is that pic was helmed by the 2001 original's Jo Jin-gyu. Korean B.O. straddling the New Year was a respectable 1.4 million admissions; but despite having been sold widely throughout Asia, pic looks likely to struggle offshore with non-Korean auds.

After ditching the original idea of actresses Shin and Zhang Ziyi (who had a cameo in "2") facing off in China, the story was totally changed, recast and relocated. Shu plays the half-Korean daughter of embattled Hong Kong crime lord Lim (Shaw Brothers vet Ti Lung). Until things cool down, she goes into hiding in South Korea under the "protection" of wannabe tough guy Gi-cheol (Lee).

With neither speaking the other's language, and Shu with a get-me-out-of-here look on her face, chemistry between the two leads is zero. Pic is largely a comic showcase for Lee's bumbling antics, with Shu showing her sexy action mettle only in a brief finale back in Hong Kong.

Wittiest perf actually comes from Korean actress Hyeon Yeong, as an interpreter who deliberately mistranslates the leads' confrontational dialogue. Final set-to in Hong Kong looks as though it's been helmed by other hands, with way more flavorsome lensing, color, pacing and choreography, hinting at what the movie could have been.

Camera (color, widescreen), Baek Dong-hyeon; editors, Park Gok-ji, Jeong Jin-heui; music, Park Se-jun; art director, Park Il-hyeon; costume designer, Diana Lee; sound (Dolby Digital), Jeong Gwang-ho; martial arts choreographer, Weon Jin. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (market), Feb. 11, 2007. Running time: 115 MIN.

© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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