Review The Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die a.k.a. Deo killeo: Jugeodo doeneun ai (2022): It's not Taken nor is it John Wick.

genre: gun fu, action, crime

Someone described The Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die, as Man from Nowhere meets John Wick. And another reviewer was reminded of Leon or Taken. And yes, this film does contain a lot of elements from those classics story and action wise. However, it never reaches the level of those films. And that is a real shame if you ask me.

I am not going to lie, while the story was very simple and basic. It at least tried to present events seriously. I really appreciate it. But, the one thing it failed to do, or at least to do it properly. Is to intensify the action. And to make it more compelling. You really need to feel something is at stake. The main character played by Jang Hyuk is almost invincible. Never really gets into trouble. Not even with the police. That kind of thing completely detracts from the viewing experience. Sometimes you really need to feel that he could be killed or caught any second. There is no sense of tension or urgency. This resulted in me not being invested that much. 

The action itself I really liked. It was well choreographed and pretty stylish. The gun fu was excellent. Apart from those sequences, the action never pushed the envelope. Say what you want about Carter. That film put a spin on action as you know it. Besides, I can watch that film over and over again and not get tired of it. The Killer in that regard is pretty generic. It even prides itself on stealing the story from Man from Nowhere. It blatantly references it. Sure, it was a nice moment. Only it confronts you with the fact that Man from Nowhere is the superior film. Jang Hyuk's character is pretty charming, but at the same time pretty cold-blooded. I think this film should have addressed this a little more. How can he get away with his assassinations when he never ever masks himself. Wouldn't that make him easily recognizable? Especially if he rarely hesitates to kill. Things like that get noticed. 

Overall, the film is decent enough, but somewhat disappointing. The action could have been far more creative and intense. Why not have a finale that is bloody and dramatic, like in the old school heroic bloodshed films? It would have been totally justified. The quality was certainly there. 

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