The Swindlers

Director- Jang Chang-Won

Cast- Hyun Bin, Yoo Ji-tae, Bae Seong-woo

Country of Origin- South Korea

Distributor - Well Go USA

Number of discs –  1

Reviewed by - Tyler Miller

Date- 08/06/2019

Hwang (Hyun Bin) is a young and upcoming con artist, whos world is crushed when his father is murdered while aiding Korea’s most infamous thief. Sworn on revenge he makes it his mission to hunt the man down at any cost. Also in Korea is the corrupt and power hungry Prosecutor Park Hee-soo (Yoo Ji-Tae) who is tired of all the bureaucratic red tape that is stopping him from rising in rank. Park soon discovers he can get the success he wants if he can catch the same Con Man that Hwang is after. With a crack team of con artists, the duo team up, but this won’t be a simple game of cat and mouse.

South Korean action cinema has been one of the most exciting trends in modern film. Even when adapting basic pot boiling plots, the finished films are full of polish and enthusiasm of good entertainment. THE SWINDLERS (2017) is another fine example of a basic conman plot that  gets the deluxe treatment in thrills and tight pacing.  At times feeling like the first in a series of Steven Soderbergh’s OCEAN’S 11 style capers, THE SWINDLERS manages to keep it’s head above the water even when some of the plot twists don’t really add up.

Director Jang Chang-Won and cinematographer Lee Tae-yoon craft a handsome movie that is sexy with its too good to be true cons and shadowy in the rough backstabbing twists. The lighting and quick camera moves are energetic and make it pure eye candy. The film excels when it focuses on the cons. It captures the tone and style of the OCEAN’S movies and even the 1960’s version of THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, with the jazzy score by Bang Jun-Suk and the groovy split-screens.

The cast is also splendid and I would love to see a series of their future adventures. Popular Korean drama TV turned movie star Hyun Bin ( PAMPANT) makes a charming and cunning lead. He is able to charm the audience and pull the emotional charms like a young Brad Pitt. Yoo Ji-Tae (Hong Sang-soo’s WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN) has the fashion model looks and the vicious side to make an unpredictable villain. Rounding out the cast is some nice turns from  Nana (FASHION KING) as the strong woman on the crew, and Park Sung-woong (NEW WORLD).

If your in the mood for a well done caper, check out THE SWINDLERS.

Well Go USA brings the movie to the US with a nice looking transfer. The 1080p HD picture is spotless with vivid colors and sharp focus. There is no digital noise or blur. The 5.1 Korean DTS-HD MA track is also clear with crisp audio and a lovely music score. English subtitles are included. There are no extra features.