Kick the Moon

ATTACK THE GAS STATION (Udine 2000) surprised everyone with its runaway popularity, drawing mobs of viewers despite its low budget and simple premise. In 2001, the team behind this film tried to duplicate their level of success with this next feature, and that's just what they did: KICK THE MOON went on to sell 4.4 million tickets compared to GAS STATION's 2.6 million. Perhaps the biggest difference between this film and its predecessor is in its setting. ATTACK THE GAS STATION made do with a remarkably limited set, while KICK THE MOON sprawls amidst the rural city of Kyungju, a popular tourist site and the old capital of the Shilla Dynasty. Two former high-school classmates grow up into unexpected professions: Lee, the smart kid in school, becomes a gangster; while Cha, the school bully, decides to be a physical education teacher. Relations between the two had always been tense, but when they run into each other years later they try to put old rivalries aside for a friendly reunion. All this changes, however, when they meet the outspoken owner of a local restaurant, played by popular actress and model Kim Hye-soo. Kim's earthy appeal sets both their hearts aflame, and their latent competitiveness soon transforms into insults, threats, and full-scale street warfare. As in their previous feature, director Kim Sang-jin and producer Kim Mi-hee employ violence, hyperbole, and struggles for power to drive their film forward. KICK THE MOON also contains its share of well-drawn characters. Cha as the slightly obsessed gym teacher makes the biggest impression, first terrorizing his students and then battling to win over Kim. Strangely enough, the gangster played by Lee comes across as the film's most sensible and admirable character. Kim Hye-soo, in her return to the screen after an absence of several years, seems perfectly cast as the spirited woman who sets both men's hearts reeling.