Review: ‘Big Match’ pits brawn against brains in a fight to the finish (Includes first-hand account)

There is a significant amount of power wielded by a privileged few who lack integrity and possess enough wealth for them to believe they exist above the law. Consequently, everyone and everything else in the world is a means by which they can profit or be entertained. High-stakes gambling, big game hunting, exploiting resources and disregarding general civility are just some of the ways in which they exercise their perceived superiority. The degree to which these villains actually exist is uncertain but in the movies they are everywhere including Big Match, which chronicles an underground betting ring that turns the city into its game board.

Iko (Jung-jae Lee) was always a skilled athlete, but he found his calling in the mixed-martial arts arena. Trained by his brother, Yeong-ho (Sung-min Lee), Iko becomes one of the world’s best fighters. However, not everyone is a fan of their success. Suddenly Yeong-ho is the prime suspect in a murder investigation and Iko is being held by police as a possible accomplice. But that’s just the beginning. The game planner (Ha-kyun Shin) waves the starting flag and Iko must play or risk losing his brother forever. With each new level, the odds are stacked further against him from a dozen opponents to more than 60. And while Iko battles his way through each new challenge, seven affluent gamblers bet on whether he’ll succeed or fail — but Iko never loses.

This isn’t exactly an original concept for a film, echoing the premises of movies such as The Game and Rat Race. However this picture incorporates some notable action sequences in which Iko takes on and outsmarts multiple adversaries, ranging from armed police officers to gangsters unwittingly caught in the crossfire. Jung-jae Lee’s athleticism is impressive as he leaps over enemies, dodges bullets, and kicks and punches his way out of any situation. The ferocity and imbalance of the fight scenes is reminiscent of fast-paced martial arts films like The Raid, in which the hero is exceptionally skilled at disarming his opponents in confined areas. In spite of the quick action, the actors’ moves are defined rather than close-up blurs in which the audience eventually loses interest.

In the meantime, the game planner is pulling everyone’s strings from the sidelines, orchestrating everything from Iko’s course to the size of the bets being placed. His high-tech game suite is able to tap into any camera or security system, giving him tremendous control over the events that occur. However he also proves very good at thinking on his feet, adapting whenever Iko throws a wrench into his meticulous design. The race to the final round is a little long, but there is enough to keep audiences engaged until all the players converge for one last showdown (followed by one more).

This exciting, adrenaline-fueled Korean action adventure had its Canadian premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival.

Director: Ho Choi
Starring: Jung-jae Lee, Ha-kyun Shin and Sung-min Lee

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘The Sisters Brothers’ doesn’t try to abide by tradition (Includes first-hand account)

    While the Western’s heyday may have passed, there is no shortage of new entries to the genre, especially of late. The narratives in the category allow for interesting explorations of race and class, as well as greed and justice. The era of gunslingers and gold diggers invites any number of conversations of right and wrong, good people and bad… and what’s right may not always be good, and vice versa. Legends were created as their feats were immortalized in the written word and fame became a goal rather than an abstract idea. This is the world in which The Sisters Brothers unfolds.

  • Review: ‘Lights Out’ is scary in all the right places (Includes first-hand account)

    It’s not the actual darkness that frightens most people, but whatever danger may be lurking in the black void that they can’t see – and therefore can’t effectively defend against. Whether real or supernatural, we’re taught from an early age to be cautious of things that go bump in the night. Moreover the ancient dichotomy of light and dark is ingrained in our consciousness, inherently teaching that one is good and the other bad. Horror movies often exist in the shadows, taking advantage of these impulses and the lack of visibility to tell scary stories. Lights Out is one of the best concepts to leverage these fears in cinema.

  • Review: ‘The Last Witch Hunter’ is a compilation of oversights (Includes first-hand account)

    It’s impossible to know what really lurks in the shadows, concealed in the darkness. It’s difficult to know the true nature of anything without being permitted behind the curtain, where there are no masks or secrets. Countless stories are built around what goes bump in the night; that which chooses to remain unseen to the untrained eye. Clandestine meeting places, councils and laws rule their existence, ensuring the general public’s continued ignorance. The Last Witch Hunter is an eternal enforcer who makes sure no harm comes to the unenlightened.

  • Review: ‘Pan’ fails to find balance between story and theatrics (Includes first-hand account)

    As timeless as Peter Pan’s age are the endless possibilities the story presents for new interpretations and extrapolations. A number of feature-length films have been made — live action and animated — that relate the original tale or create new adventures that put the spotlight on other characters, such as Tinker Bell and Captain Hook. In addition, certain personalities have been extracted to appear in other fantasies, including Once Upon a Time. The latest rendition, Pan, delivers an origin story that sets Peter and Hook on the same side to battle a mutual enemy: Blackbeard.

  • Review: ‘Giant Little Ones’ wonders what it’s like to love without labels (Includes first-hand account)

    Being a teenager is probably one of the most complex phases of a person’s life. While it lacks much of the responsibility of being an adult, it feels like everything occurs under a microscope so it’s magnified and all-encompassing. The slightest misstep can make you a social pariah, while a seemingly trivial act can make you a god. There are some rules so it’s not all completely arbitrary, but they change with the tides so no one and nothing are ever truly safe — someone can be atop a high school’s mountain one minute and mangled at its base the next. Giant Little Ones captures all these intricacies in just a few weeks of an adolescent’s life.