A winning mix of comedy and historical thriller, this South Korean feature resurrects distant memories of a perilous time when dictator Chun Doo-hwan imposed martial law and violently repressed pro-democracy students. Based on actual events but filling in some intriguing unknowns with creative speculation, the film revolves around a Seoul taxi driver named Kim (Song Kang-ho), a widower with an 11-year-old daughter and a reputation as a likable scamp and hustler. Months behind on his rent, Kim sees an opportunity to make a lot of money fast by driving a German TV journalist, Jurgen Hinzpeter (Thomas Kretschmann), from Seoul to the city of Gwangju. Unaware of the chaotic situation there—soldiers are mercilessly slaughtering student demonstrators—Kim finds himself in the thick of danger helping Hinzpeter capture the film footage he needs to get the story of this brutal crisis into international news. Director Jang Hun remarkably captures the bloody disarray of a city under siege, with scores of bodies littering streets along with scattered shoes and paper. The film’s buoyant beginning and Song’s almost Chaplinesque performance give no hint of the travails to come, which perfectly mirrors Kim’s political awakening. Recommended. (T. Keogh)
A Taxi Driver
Well Go USA, 138 min., in Korean, English & German w/English subtitles, not rated, Blu-ray: $29.99, Apr. 17 Volume 33, Issue 4
A Taxi Driver
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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