The first half of the film, told from Myung-woo's point of view, details the couple's growing attraction and love for each other, which climaxes with a trip to the countryside where Myung-woo tells Kyung-jin that if he were ever to die, he wanted to come back to earth as the wind. Soon after, he is almost killed in a freak automobile accident, but Kyung-jin saves his life.
Wind Struck Movie
The film takes a turn into the fantasy genre in its second half after Myung-woo is accidentally shot and killed by another officer (although the situation is such that Kyung-jin thinks that it was her shot that killed him) as Kyung-jin chases after a criminal. Kyung-jin falls into a suicidal depression over his death and attempts to kill herself several times, almost succeeding when she throws herself off a building, only to be saved when a giant balloon floats under her. Soon after, she experiences visitations from Myung-woo, who appears as the wind, sending her messages and, at one point, he even appears in her dreams in order to give her the will to live after she is nearly shot to death by a criminal.
Ultimately the film follows a similar path set out by the American film Ghost with Myung-woo and Kyung-jin communicating and sharing one final gesture of love before he moves on to the afterlife. Myung-woo said that he will whisper, when she hears him whisper in the wind, she will meet someone with a soul like him. Myung-woo told Kyung-jin that he will always be beside her inside a book with a photo left by Myung-woo in the restaurant before he rushed to meet Kyung-jin who was chasing the insane criminal.
Windstruck shares the same leading actress and director as an earlier popular South Korean film, My Sassy Girl. As a result, Windstruck contains several subtle references to the previous film. It is also worth noting that throughout both movies Jun Ji-hyun's characters have an overall cheerful and sassy personality but soon revealing sadness and emotion.
In the start of My Sassy Girl she is distraught over a boyfriend that died (though the reason was never disclosed) before meeting Cha Tae-hyun, and in Windstruck her boyfriend (Myung-woo) died due to hunting Sin Chang-su. The explains why the final scene of Windstruck in which Kyung-jin is saved by new soul mate (played by Cha Tae-hyun, the male lead from My Sassy Girl) on a train platform, is very similar to the beginning of My Sassy Girl, essentially setting up Windstruck as a spiritual prequel to My Sassy Girl.
As for the story, well it would be hard to pinpoint the genre exactly. It seems to me like this movie tries to balance many different tones, tones that would make the sum of it something resembling a Romance/Drama/Comedy/Action movie (in order of importance according to yours truly).
How you feel about Windstruck will be determined in how much you like Jun Ji-hyun as she carries most of the film especially the second half. She absolutely shines in here and is thanks to her acting that you can turn a blind eye to the heavy handedness of the script and score to emotionally manipulate you. Boy, was I played like a musical instrument? But I didn't mind that. I hope you enjoy Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Stay as you will hear different interpretations of the song throughout the film.
Windstruck will go down in the annals of.. well, my life really, as the best and my favourite romantic comedy.The tale of a police officer and her adorkable, slap-heavy encounter with a, hands down not even potentially potential suspect and the ensuing romance, hits all the right notes a rom com has to for me. And then some more.
Windstruck starts out as a good-hearted Korean comedy with some typical over the humour and then goes on to warm your heart, break it, make you sob like a little puppy and turn that into tears of joy.
TRAP Why all korean comedian movies start funny and hilarious in the first 40 minutes and suddenly become melodramatic and tragedy sad !? they really like to play with audience feelings i was laugh like in idiot for 40 minutes straight with no warning i started to cry like baby !?!?!?!heartless motherfuckers They Even played XJAPAN SONG TEARS ASS HOES ??????
Thus, there has been no shortage of hype and expectation for the 2004 reunion of that seminal film's director and lead actress in "Windstruck (Nae yeojachingureul sogae habnida)". Expecting lightning to strike twice, the production was co-financed by Chinese producers (including "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" producer Bill Kong) and became the first Korean film to open simultaneously in South Korea and Hong Kong. Not surprisingly, this return trip to the "My Sassy Girl" universe made a ton of money off its built-in audience, though it was hardly the runaway success that its backers had been expecting. What went wrong?
"Windstruck" opens with Gyeong-jin (Jeon), a tough cop with a take-no-prisoners attitude (surprise, surprise), in pursuit of a purse snatcher. Unfortunately, she ends up arresting the wrong man, a meek high school teacher named Myung-woo (Jang Hyuk). Luckily, the confusion is cleared up, but to Myung-woo's chagrin, he ends up being paired with 'Dirty Harriet' again a few nights later while taking part in a voluntary patrol program. But after spending an evening handcuffed to Gyeong-jin while chasing bad guys, Myung-woo finds himself helplessly smitten by the fierce beauty.
In "Windstruck", it is sadly becoming obvious that director Kwak is in danger of falling into a creative funk. Whereas the multi-generational romance "The Classic" showed Kwak somewhat capable of taking on more challenging material, "Windstruck" seems like a step backwards. Instead of being a cohesive narrative, "Windstruck" is more of a mish mash of 'cute little scenes' thrown together. True, this could be said of "My Sassy Girl", but that film possessed a forceful emotional undercurrent and a tangible level of intrigue that kept viewers engaged.
In the case of "Windstruck", the story is little more than a backdrop for maximizing the screen time of its lead actress, while throwing in a few intrusive product placements and references to "My Sassy Girl" and "The Classic" along the way. This is quite evident in the film's second half, where it seems Kwak is running out of ideas, throwing Gyeong-jin into one action sequence after another, or beating the audience over the head with the story's ad nauseum use of wind imagery. It also does not help that the plotting and lackluster dialogue are rife with forced sentimentality, making "Windstruck" more of a study in emotional manipulation than good storytelling.
Another noticeable aspect of "Windstruck" is the way the story goes through giant mood swings (and I am not referring to the capricious nature of Jeon's character). The film starts off as a light bubbly 'boy meets girl' with all the head slapping and sweet sentimentality one would expect in the post-"My Sassy Girl" era. As expected (given the typical emotional rollercoaster that Korean comedies put audiences through), the film moves into weepy melodrama in the second half. However, what is jarring is how the story transitions unevenly between the comic and more serious moments, as well as the overall darker tone of the proceedings. For example, one comic set piece features a female hostage almost getting a knife shoved through her head while Myung-woo screws up trying to help apprehend the hostage takers. Other seemingly out-of-place moments (at least for something that tries to be "My Sassy Girl 2") include a serial killer who bludgeons half a dozen patrons at a karaoke bar, as well as Gyeong-jin wrestling with a death wish.
And in line with the 'Jekyll and Hyde' plotting, director Kwak seems to have squeezed in almost every film genre into "Windstruck", including some over-the-top Michael Bay-inspired action sequences, a tense game of cat-and-mouse that would feel at home in any serial killer thriller, and the story's more supernatural touches near the end. With the story and emotional beats moving in different directions at the drop of a hat, it is not surprising that some viewers may end up being stumped at how to react to the film.
Interestingly enough, Jeon and Jang have been friends for a number of years, sharing the same talent management company and starring opposite each other in various television commercials and music videos. Unfortunately, such familiarity off-screen does not seem to translate into a palpable chemistry in "Windstruck". This is probably due to the aura of Jeon's superstar status dominating almost every scene-next to her, everyone else seems dull. In fact, the only other actor that manages to elicit a strong reaction is a surprise cameo at the end of the film-and the reason will be quite evident when you see it.
"Windstruck" is also not much of a stretch for its actors. Jeon is given yet another chance to act mad, sad, and glad again, and for a while, her over-the-top antics are certainly charming. However, it soon proves to be too much of a good thing. Whereas Jeon's tearful performance in "My Sassy Girl" (especially when apologizing to Kyun-woo on a mountaintop) could reduce grown men to crybabies, the same magic fails to happen in "Windstruck". While this is partly due to the emotionally flat material, the other problem is that the sight of Jeon weeping goes into overkill, with her character breaking out in tears every few minutes until it becomes almost meaningless. Meanwhile, Jang traverses familiar territory in yet another 'lovable loser' role, similar to the work he did in films such as "Volcano High (Whasango)" and "Please Teach Me English (Yeongeo wanjeonjeongbok)"-certainly nothing new for him, but at least there is an earnest quality in his performance. A number of other familiar faces round out the cast, including Jang's "Volcano High" co-star Kim Su-ro as a street thug, as well as a humorous appearance by Lee Gi-wu of "The Classic". 2ff7e9595c
Comments