REVIEW: FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY (2013)

REVIEW: FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY
Dir. Kwak Kyung-taek
With Kim Woo-Bin, Yu Oh-Seong and Jung Ho-Bin

By Azaria Wassyihun

FRIEND was a huge success for Korean cinema back in 2001, so much so that a sequel to the acclaimed film seemed primordial, as audiences lauded the film with praise; yet it took director Kwak Kyung-Taek 12 years to bring us the much-anticipated sequel FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY(2013). FRIEND(2001) was a huge success for a multitude of reasons, but at the core of such a success lies the realistic portrayal of Korean youth, and how they related to the world as they grow older. Rather than transposing that theme into his new movie, Mr. Taek chose to go another direction with the sequel, in order to continue Lee Joon-Suk’s story. In this vein, FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY does not disappoint, and although it is a stark departure from its predecessor, it triumphs as a dark generational tale of gangsterism in South Korea.

The emotional core of FRIEND lies in the relationship between its four protagonists as the film takes care in building the trust we will eventually see they have towards one another. The film follows Joon Suk and his three childhood friends as they experience childhood and highschool together. Eventually two of them go towards different paths while Joon and and Dong remain in Joon’s fathers gang. In order for the audience to relate to the youths, we travel through Busan as they do, and eventually, their personalities are defined, through their treatment of sex, technology and friendship. The cinematography employed emphasizes such innocence, as scenes are brightly lit, with a color palette of whites, browns and yellows to provide a dream like quality. The opening scene best represents this, as the kids run after a truck spitting smoke on them, giving off the effect of a dream. The high school scenes perpetuate this bright style, although the colors become more muted (most of the characters wear black as opposed to white in their youth), signifying the growth that occurs throughout adolescence. By the time they reach adulthood, the style of the film becomes much bleaker, as the youths have finally reached their potential (particularly Joon-Suk). Scenes take place more frequently at nighttime, as their gangster lives evolve, and their clothing becomes more and more sophisticated, reflecting their growth in the gangster world.

FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY begins in the same way FRIEND began, with young boys hanging out. FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACYopens as FRIEND closes, with our titular gangster being sentenced to 17 years in prison. We flash back to three young boys hanging out at a house, before the stepfather comes in and starts a ruckus. The intro section is quick, and the next section sees two of the children as adults, as one of them robs the other’s temple, without him knowing. The gangster is revealed to be Hang Sung Hoon, the son of on of the girls who would visit Joon’s house many years ago. Hang is soon sent to prison where he is taken under Joon’s protection and guidance. Once their sentences are served, they get out and try to get Joon back at the top of his father’s gang. As the mystery unfolds neither Joon nor Hang seem to be actually who they really are, and the film delves deep in to their psyche, until it crescendos into a poignant climax involving the two leads.

FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY begins in the same way FRIEND began, with young boys hanging out. While FRIEND spent much time conveying the youths’ childhood, FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY goes straight to the point and portrays the disgusting reality of Han Sung-Hoon’s childhood. Here the intent is very different from FRIEND, which attempted to paint a realistic portrayal of four young friends. In FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY, the adults quickly crash the party, crushing these youths’ spirit and character at the same time. This is why so little time is spent dealing with Han as a young man. In order to convey his lack of innocence, and his need to grow up fast to protect his mother, the film uses a dissolve to flash 13 years into the future, as if no time had gone by. The choice to dissolve the shot from the afternoon 13 years ago as the kids walk off camera, to nightfall 13 years later as adult Han and his crew walk towards the camera, gives the impression these 13 years wasted Han’s childhood, and that in some way, no time has passed at all. Thus the bleakness and darker style that comes into play later on in Friend, is seen within the first five minutes of FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY. Stylistically, FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY is lush and makes great use of its locations as well as the time period it is set in. The earlier Busan scenes are brightly lit so as to contrast with the neon lights and dizzying skyscrapers of Seoul in the 21^st century. Seoul is much more present in FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY, and a sense of history is instilled as geo-politics are discussed in one of the flashbacks. This is in sharp contrast to FRIEND, which focused on character development more then the plausibility of the world it is set in. Such a decision makes sense since FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY spawns many more decades than FRIEND, as three distinct eras are portrayed.

Thematically, FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY brings the themes of honor and friendship previously examined in Friend full circle. Action and car chases aside, FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY is still about the relationship between Joon-Suk and Dong Su, although this time through Dong’s son Han. At the end of FRIEND, the last line spoken reads: “From what I remember, Joon-Suk seemed to be on Don-Su’s side then”. This line solidifies the inherent friendship seen in these two friends. It also accentuates how apart they were at the end, and how Don betrayed Joon, which he could not tolerate in a friend, whom he thinks stands with you through thick and thin. Joon still feels guilt for what he did to his friend, and this guilt is at the center of his relationship with Don’s son. The whole process of grooming Han can be seen as salvation for Joon, although it is not enough because Han eventually learns the truth. In this way, FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACYis much more about guilt and redemption than about friendship. But it is the central theme of friendship in FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY that brings about such responses, and thus the two films complement each other well.

FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY is a worthy counter part to its predecessor, as it supplants some themes and techniques used in FRIEND, and furthers a great many others. In this fashion, FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY stands on its own as a worthy gangster film, that delves deep into the age old themes of guilt, redemption and revenge, through the eye of a great Korean auteur.
There is a free screening of FRIEND, THE GREAT LEGACY on Jan 28, 2014 at Tribeca Cinemas. Click HERE for details.