Marco Han (Kang Tae ju) is an amateur underground boxer in Manila. His mother (Caroline Magbojos) has fallen ill and desperately needs an expensive operation, so after each fight, Marco puts all of his earnings on longshot bets, hoping to hit a miracle. Marco is what is referred to as Kopino—a person of mixed Korean and Filipino blood. He has never met his Korean father, but recently started to search for him in hopes that he could to help pay for his mother’s surgery. Time is running out, and Marco even considers participating in a jewelry store robbery to get the money, but then he hears from an attorney. His father, Chairman Han (Kim Seon-ho), is head of one of the largest foundations in the Korea. He, too has fallen ill, and wants Marco to come to Korea to meet him.
As Marco arrives in Korea, he quickly discovers that there is more going on than what he has been told about. Marco’s half-brother (Kim Kang-woo) has stepped in as Director of the family’s foundation while his father is out of commission, and this has caused murmurs of corruption, slush funds, and cover-ups. Director Han’s half-sister Yoon-ju (Go Ara) has also set her sights on taking over the the company, which has caused a deadly battle of wits between the siblings. At the same time, Marco finds himself being pursued by a quirky but deadly professional killer (Kim Seon-ho), who assures Marco that he his a friend—though friends don’t usually try to kill one another! Marco doesn’t know who he can trust, who hired the killer to come after him, or why. He just wants to get the money for his mother’s operation and get back home alive. There are dangers and new people trying to kill one another (and Marco) around every turn…and the real reason why Marco was brought to Korea has still yet to be revealed.
The Childe is a blast from start to finish. The viewer is purposely left in the dark for much of the film, allowing them to try to piece together what is going on, who works for whom, and what they want with Marco. As the film goes on, things start to click into place, which is part of the fun of the experience. The film opens on a scene with our slightly deranged contract killer revisiting different “friend” to exact his brutal form of justice, alerting the viewer that being labeled a friend by this professional probably isn’t a good thing. Then we meet Marco, who has some strong fighting skills of his own. Just like the contract killer, he is able to perform under pressure, using his boxing skills to escape when outnumbered and surrounded by hostiles. Once Marco heads to Korea, that’s where the real action and mystery begins, as Marco finds himself pursued by this mysterious man and others who want him dead, for some unknown reason. While this is going on, the film also explores the unscrupulous actions of acting Director Han—Marco’s half-brother—who has his own private army for protection and to help him squash any stories about the corruption in his company, and torture and punish any whistleblowers.
The breakout star of The Childe is easily Kim Seon-ho as this oddly charming, self-absorbed professional killer. I don’t believe his name is ever given (though IMDb credits him as ‘Nobleman’). He usually just introduces himself as a “professional” (or as a “friend”, but that usually feels ominous and sarcastic). The Nobleman dresses in expensive designer clothes, and drives his prized brand new Mercedes. He’s constantly fixing his hair, adjusting his clothes, or checking himself out in the mirror as he’s pursuing or torturing his targets. He is definitely in this line of work for the money, and loves his posessions—he takes it personally when one of his victims gets blood on his designer shoes. The Nobleman always seems overly-confident, never letting anything bother him. Even when things don’t go quite as planned, he just smiles, whistles, and plays it cool—like he’s enjoying each new challenge of the hunt. However, behind that constant grin is a cold-blooded professional killer, able to take down a room of armed enemies in seconds, using guns or whatever he can get his hands on to turn into a weapon. His victims often underestimate who they are up against until it’s too late.
Newcomer Kang Tae ju is also great as Marco, which is another physically-demanding role. Early on we get a glimpse of Marco’s fighting skills, which will come in handy later on as he’s being pursued by this sadistic killer and others. However, there is this fun relationship between Marco and the Nobleman. It’s not clear why this assassin doesn’t just take him out immediately whenever he gets the chance, instead going for this playful cat and mouse game as he chases him around Seoul. But there are others who are also after Marco, each for a different purpose, and so Marco finds himself a stranger in a strange land, not knowing who to trust.
The Childe comes from writer/director Park Hoon-jung (The Witch franchise), and has this great blend of fast-paced (and often bloody and brutal) action, along with some humor. The more comedic moments usually come from the Nobleman and his quirky, oddball antics, such as how he mutters about the damage to his prized Mercedes, or how he constantly forgets and then remembers that he’s been grazed by a bullet and that it hurts. The story has lots of unexpected twists and turns that keep the viewer interested and guessing the whole time. This is definitely a film that I will watch again—I would love to see a sequel following the further adventures of these characters, especially the Nobleman.
Well Go has released The Childe on Digital and Blu-ray. The disc offers the audio only in its original Korean language, though there are portions of the movie where English is spoken—primarily in scenes taking place in the Philippines, where English is an official language. Marco is one of the few who actually speaks Korean in Manila—his mother forced him to learn the language due to his Kopino heritage. The English subtitles are pretty well-written and easy to follow, and are offered in both English and “Full English”, where the English-spoken parts are also subtitled. The soundtrack is quite immersive, utilizing the surround channel to put the viewer right in the middle of the action, whether it’s the sound of bullets or other weapons whizzing by, the crowd cheering at the boxing matches, rain overhead, or just a nice generally-immersive ambiance. The video presentation is also excellent, with a nice clean, clear picture throughout. The film often uses quick cuts and close shots to put the viewer right in the middle of the action, but there are also some beautiful, more cinematic-looking wide shots that reminded me of something out of John Wick: Chapter 4. Colors look natural, and there is a solid level of detail throughout.
Well Go’s Blu-ray release is a barebones, just including the film’s trailer and some previews for three other Well Go release as bonus material. The Blu-ray comes packed in a locking HD keepcase. There is no digital copy, but our review copy did include a nice cardboard slipcover.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:58:03)
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Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: Korean 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Korean Stereo
- Subtitles: English, Full English
Extras:
- Trailer (:59)
- Previews
- The Moon (1:25)
- Ransomed (1:32)
- The Ghost Station (1:22)
Final Thoughts:
The Childe is an exciting and action-packed film that allows the viewer to slowly piece together the mystery of what is going on. The cast is great, especially Kim Seon-ho as the oddball professional killer, who brings both a lot of humor and some brutal action to the movie. There is this delightful joy in this character that is infectious, making you actually want to side with this charming sadistic killer, even though he is there to take out the film’s more traditional hero. Well Go’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, but doesn’t include any bonus material. That said, the quality and entertainment value of the film alone makes this an easy recommendation for purchase.
The Childe
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