Movie: 3-Iron

This film really isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste, so let’s get a few things out of the way right up front. It’s in Korean. The main character doesn’t speak a single line throughout. While not as brutal as most of Kim Ki-duk’s work, there are a few scenes that’ll have you wincing in your seat and occasionally curling up into a wee ball. Still interested? Good, because you’re in for a treat.

3 Iron is a beautiful film. Every shot is just perfectly arranged; the cinematography really is breathtaking. The film follows the story of a young man who spends his time breaking into houses. He eats peoples’ food, wears their clothes, sleeps in their beds, then before he leaves he tidies the place up, does the laundry, and carries out minor repairs. The way it’s done is utterly believable, and seems pretty reasonable, too. The character may not speak, but it’s impossible not to like him.

While an interesting premise in its own right, and a great way to examine the lives of a lot of ordinary Korean families, this is merely the setup for the main story. One day our man breaks into a house which is occupied. He discovers a beaten wife, bruised and sobbing, and is unable to stand by in the shadows as her husband threatens and nearly rapes her. This, incidentally, is where we find out why the film is called 3-Iron.

Having acquired a travelling partner, housebreaking companion and romantic interest, our hero continues about his way of life, getting himself into deeper and deeper trouble through his uncompromising attitude. The chemistry between these two characters (who never once speak directly to each other) is incredible. The success of the film really hinges on the strength of these performances, and they don’t let it down at all.

The film is kind of bound up with Korean mythology, especially the ideas of hospitality and household spirits. You don’t have to have any understanding of this stuff whatsoever to enjoy the film, but it’s good to know that there’s more going on than it might at first appear. The central theme—the difficulty in drawing the line between fantasy and reality, in knowing what is really real—still shines through.

Absolutely not to be missed, 3-Iron is quite possibly the most wonderful film you’ll see all year.


3-iron will be showing at the Glasgow Film Theatre from the 29th of July. Rated 15.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0423866/

http://www.sonyclassics.com/3iron/

[johnnie walker]

sounds like an interesting idea, the main character not speaking.

need to see if i can catch this one.

good review

[Potatojunkie]

Thanks, chief.

Having characters that don't speak is one of Kim Ki-duk's things that he does.

I don't think I can over-stress how much everyone in the world has to see this film.

[One_tree_hill]

I downloaded the thing, and it was as good as the reviewer said. I really liked the main character or actor I should say, he says nothing but he leaves a real impression, even in the first 20 minutes of the film.
It changes tone sort of in the last half an hour that I thought worked really well and prevented it from getting overly pretentious or drawn out.

[Jenpot]

This looks absolutely fantastic.

But it will be a DVD waiter, I'm afraid.

[lu.]

Saw it in the GFT. I can admire how beautifully shot it was, how tender it was, but quite frankly i found it rapetative and far fetched.

[Crystal Mighty]

I wanted to go see this but other stuff kept on coming up, like cocktails and sushi...

[Potatojunkie]

Originally Posted by lu.

...far fetched.

That's half the point. The whole thing is possible, certainly, but so unlikely that you're not at all sure if it's real or not.