"Korean Fight Club"

ATTACK THE GAS STATION

Original title: 주유소 습격 사건 (Juyuso seubgyuksageun)
Year: 1999
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean
Number: 958
Director: Kim Sang-jin
Starring: Lee Sung-jae, Yu Oh-seong, Kang Seong-jin, Yoo Ji-tae

Kim Sang-jin's Attack the Gas Station is the story about four thugs who decides to rob a gas station in the middle of the night, because they are bored. They already robbed the same gas station once, but when the boss this time decides to hide all the money, the thugs decides to hold all the employees as hostages, while they are running the station in such a rude way, while they force the boss to come up with the money.

Attack the Gas Station is a great crime comedy, a hysterical one, because of the way the hostages are treated and how sometimes they turn against each other and even feels affection for their prison guard, Mu "Bulldozer" Dae-po, who always carrying a big stick and act like a strict sergeant, and I just laugh so hard when he's on screen. And it's also interesting and funny to watch the flashbacks of all the thugs that shows us the reason why they are robbing the gas station in the first place, they show us their broken dreams, and we kind of feel sorry for them.

This film have gained a special cult status in South Korea. There's even been similar attacks in real-life. It's like a Korean Fight Club. It is also a social commentary about the economic turmoil in South Korea in which car manufacturers was laying off thousands of employees. And it's also a commentary about american imperialism as well. In other words this is a movie about the frustrated South Korean youth. For me, Attack the Gas Station is the best Korean film I've seen so far. Thumbs up.

Rating: A+

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