Squeezed in among the Korean gangster comedies of autumn 2001 was the highly successful GUNS & TALKS, a film by playright-turned-director Jang Jin. Although the "guns" in the title might lead you to expect an action film, it's a comedy, filled with far more talk than action (the Korean title translates literally as "Killers' Chattering"). The film was a hit with young Korean audiences, drawing more than two million viewers nationwide.
The film stars a mix of established and up-and-coming male actors as four hired assassins who pride themselves on the care and humanity with which they carry out their work. "I don't know why people are so eager to kill each other," says the innocent-looking youngster of the group, "But since we're in such demand, the world must really need us." A determined cop in the local police force feels somewhat differently, however, and he sets about the task of catching the four.
Apart from its clever dialogue and eccentric personalities, the film's major draw proved to be its star power. Shin Ha-kyun first became widely known as the young North Korean soldier in JOINT SECURITY AREA; since then he has become one of the most popular actors in Korea. Won Bin, on the other hand, found his fame through the hugely successful TV drama AUTUMN FAIRY TALE, which earned him fans throughout Asia. GUNS & TALKS is his debut work.
As in all his films, director Jang Jin delivers a clever script with a large number of memorable characters. Our killers, as hard as they may try, can't seem to keep their personal feelings out of their work. Without fail, the sight of women in tears leads them to act against their better judgement, as our cop lies in wait for one of them to grow careless.
Darcy Paquet