Smugglers 4K 2023 Ultra HD 2160p

The 1970s. In a small seaside village, three women are involved in smuggling.

User Review

After watching it, I was left with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the film has an intriguing setting, and it’s a pleasure to take in the 1970s aesthetic. The story of the oyster divers—who turn to smuggling out of necessity—is also compelling. It’s also interesting that women take center stage in a crime film like this.

However, by the middle of the film, a sense begins to build that it’s dragging on. In the second half, I can’t shake the feeling that Matthew McConaughey is about to appear on screen and tell a fable about a hungry lion and a young dragon. The film employs Guy Ritchie’s favorite techniques, such as flashbacks, to explain what’s happening. After all, the film is filled with conspiracies against allies, subtle hints, and setups. And the viewer doesn’t learn who the main villain is until the final act.

The pace picks up, but this doesn’t make the viewer any more invested in the story.

Over the course of two hours, the film fails to develop the characters or the relationships between them. The characters are too one-dimensional. A charismatic, sociopathic military man played by Cho In-sung; a former underachiever who, for some inexplicable reason, betrayed his family; a righteous heroine who turns to crime to save some and help others…

And so on.

The film references the famous stabbing scene from "Oldboy", where Oh Dae-su cracks nuts with a hammer in the hallway. Also, in the film’s finale, the big boss of the fishing town searches for a gun on a speedboat. It looks as if the director is deliberately alluding to “Pulp Fiction,” which featured a pair of collectible guns.

All in all, it’s a decent genre film. A sort of retro crime flick. Good for an evening’s entertainment. But I expected more.

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (55.1 Mb/s)
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10+
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Info Audio

#Korean: Dolby TrueHD with Dolby Atmos 7.1
#Korean: Dolby Digital 5.1
#Korean: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Commentary 1)
#Korean: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Commentary 2)

Info Subtitles