The Korean

The Korean of this film’s title is described as the "the deadliest cleaner in the city." He’s tracking down four associates who have turned on his crime syndicate boss and are attempting to abscond with the syndicate's loot. In his very promising first feature, writer/director Thomas Dixon adds fresh twists to the conventions of crime thrillers. Filmed on a low budget, Dixon shows that an entertaining, fast-paced action film can be made without big-budget effects and explosions. Word of mouth could make this Korean into a cult attraction, as well as building attention for DVD sales.

Lee (Josiah D. Lee), the Korean "cleaner," and a young woman wonder if they can break away to start new lives, especially as they've "killed so many." Lee assures her of his help. The film plays with chronology. After a bleeding character collapses, the story moves back 4 hours and 45 minutes earlier to give background to the conflicts. The fractured time frame adds clues to a tantalizing puzzle without being confusing.

Lee is contacted by his boss, CB, with photos of four people he is to pursue. With the assignment he’s warned "don't let any of them kill you today, no matter how much you liked them in the past." He has associations with all of them. One of the photos is of Lissia (Jennifer Voss), the woman he had promised to help start a new life. The others are of the police chief, Jude (John Yost), who’s about to make a major arrest, Sachton (Rik Billock) who runs his own "operation" and Ray L. (Jack Erdie). In better times Ray's relationship with Lee was described as brotherly.

While made on a small budget, The Korean is high on imagination and style. Its writer/director had previously made a short film and worked on a TV show. He shot the film in his hometown of Pittsburgh. Dixon deals with the financial constraints skillfully, as the interiors add to the sense of confinement, increasing the tension, as when multiple characters have a Mexican standoff by drawing guns on each other indoors. The script focuses on the varied characters and their attempts to gain control. There are clever turns throughout Lee's journey. Almost everyone is armed, leading to effectively staged, violent confrontations. Lee and Lissia's chemistry veers between that of two lovers and that of two combatants. Dixon adds quirky humor than livens up the proceedings as when the police chief's wife asks, "whose blood is this?" while holding her husband's shirt. Later on, we watch Lee get pursued by a man with a knife sticking out of his back.

The Korean has a good cast. Erdie is very amusing delivering Ray's quips on wine and the lack of refinement he has encountered in America. Lee has a cool confidence as he confronts his quarry to settle scores. A flashback to a childhood trauma adds further connections between characters.

Distributor: Indican Pictures
Cast: Josiah D. Lee, Jennifer Voss, John Yost, Jack Erdie and Rik Billock
Director/Screenwriter: Thomas Dixon
Genre: Crime Thriller
Rating: Unrated
Running time: 98 min.
Release date: February 5 Pittsburg, February 19 ltd.