The “undercover cop infiltrating a prison gang” theme seems so commonplace these days that it has to have some anchor in truth, right? I mean, that’s why American prisons are so crowded, isn’t it? Based on movies and television, I’d guess up to 75% of inmates in American jails are undercover cops trying to make a case.
The Prison in question here is Korean, not American, and former detective Song Yoo-gun (Kim Rae-won) is there to get down to business. His blue standard issue jumpsuit has yellow highlights as opposed to white signaling to the inmate population that Song is a special case – it’s important to let the prison population know and easily single out a new inmate for special treatment; this is encouraged by all prisons worldwide.
It doesn’t matter. Song picks three fights his first day. For a guy whose name implies singing, he’s a fighter, not a snitcher, and he’s all about getting to prison boss Ik-ho (Han Suk-kyu). The closer Song gets to Ik-ho, of course, the more he has to do to protect Ik-ho – which is exactly contrary to the reason he’s undercover in the first place, of course. It’s kind of like if you set Donnie Brasco in a maximum security facility.
Oh, and “Prison” is less a description than a suggestion. Ik-ho runs several operations outside prison walls, seemingly coming and going as he pleases. Why would I ever leave prison? Got my personal army,
small fortune, and private hot tub right here. Yes, private hot tub. Warden, I don’t want to tell you how to do your job, but I question your commitment to rehabilitation.
For a violent crime film, The Prison seemed relatively squeamish about the details – twice an inmate is held down and threatened with maiming by table saw without a single drop of blood finding the lens. Twice more, the boss delegates a murder and gets less. It wasn’t just that violence was hinted and not shown, The Prison used establishing shots on a need-only basis. Go ahead, show a close-up of saw blade. Show proximity to forearm. Let us see the danger. No? Just gonna pile seventeen guys around and let reaction tell the story? Well, ok. I’m not sure the explicit would have made a better picture; we do, however, expect a gritty crime drama to be … gritty.
Cop Song went to jail for a spell, in
Search like a modern Magellan
This underground sleuth
Arrived at the truth
Turns out that Ik-ho is a felon
Not Rated, 125 Minutes
D: Hyeon Na
W: Hyeon Na
Genre: Let’s Go to Prison
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Fictional correctional facility fans
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Wardens
