A Dirty Carnival

Screening at The Tribeca Film Festival, "A Dirty Carnival" is about the rise and fall of a Korean gangster. The title is a metaphor for the life gangster, Byung-doo, leads on the mean streets of Seoul.

The film is an exciting crime drama filled with all the elements you would expect including greed, betrayal, violence, and tragedy. Interestingly, there is very little on screen blood for such a violent film. The weapon of choice for these Korean gangsters is a metal bat and while it inflicts much pain, it leaves the film without the usual bloodshed. In fact, there are practically no guns at all in the film, which for that fact alone, makes it very interesting to watch.

The action scenes are choreographed beautifully and are very exciting. The story has been told before but the acting and charisma of the lead characters keep the viewer involved throughout the 141 minute running time.

The film is in Korean with English subtitles. No American release date is set.