Seoul Vibe review: Action-packed, fast-paced, and just plain fun

In Seoul Vibe, Dong-wook and his group of drivers and mechanics undertake the mission to expose a large slush fund. The Korean crime-thriller movie is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

Seoul Vibe takes place in 1998, when the city hosted the Olympics. The event itself plays a major role in the narrative.

Don-wook (Yoo Ah-in) returns to Seoul after completing the mission of transportation of guns in Saudi Arabia. His group includes Woo-sam or ‘John’ (Go Kyung-pyo), Bok-nam (Lee Kyu-hyung), Joon-ki (Ong Seong-wu) and his sister Yoon-hee (Park Ju-hyun).

They are given a mission by Chief Prosecutor Ahn to infiltrate the transfer of secret funds built up by the previous government. 

The group works undercover and is hired by the three heads of the fund: Chairwoman Kang (Moon So-ri), Director Lee (Kim Sung-kyun) and General Jeon.

However, they soon realise that the mission’s stakes are much higher than they thought as Director Lee and Kang turn out to be ruthless.

With such powerful figures after their heads, and such a big reward at the end of the mission, what will be the fate of the group?

Performances

Yoo Ah-in is terrific as the alpha member of the group, Don-wook. He exudes leadership and charisma, and his crew members follow him with respect.

The rest of the group, played by Go Kyung-pyo, Lee Kyu-hyung, Ong Seong-wu and Park Ju-hyun, bring comic relief and their characters are much more lighthearted.

Moon So-ri and Kim Sung-kyun play the antagonists, Chairwoman Kang and Director Lee respectively, but are reduced to over-the-top figures at best.

Positives

The cars and the Olympics are additional ‘characters’ in the film and play important roles. For any car enthusiast, the classic models displayed will be nothing short of a treat.

Blending real-life events, the Olympics for example, with the fictional storyline of the film gives it flavour, making it more than just any run-of-the-mill action movie.

The film is extremely entertaining as well, whether in the form of car chases or the humour that has been added to the narrative. The characters know how to have fun. The pacing feels right, even with a slightly long runtime of two hours and twenty minutes.

Certain scenes, such as the chase towards the end, are elevated by the funky tunes. Music, in general, is another important element of Seoul Vibe. The characters are shown to be music lovers themselves.

The attempt to recreate 1988 needs to be lauded. Picking a different time period to shoot is always tough but the movie manages to make it convincing.

Negatives

While films of this genre tend to include far-fetched sequences, some in this are absolutely unneeded and ridiculous.

In one scene, Dong-wook manages to remove the caps of drinks with the spoiler of his car. In another, he just decides to drive off a plane.

Verdict

Overall, Seoul Vibe is an entertaining addition to its Korean film slate and will be popular among viewers. More of the same, Netflix.

Seoul Vibe
Seoul Vibe review: Action-packed, fast-paced, and just plain fun 1

Director: Moon Hyun-sung

Date Created: 2022-08-26 22:29

Editor's Rating:
3.5

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