[FILM REVIEW] Jackal is Coming a.k.a Codename: Jackal (2012)

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Jackal is Coming (a.k.a Codename: Jackal) is a 2012 comedy film directed by Bae Hyeong Jun starring Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jaejoong.

A female assassin with little experience named Bon Ming Jun (Song Ji Hyo) is hired to kill very famous K-Pop singer Choi Hyun (Kim Jaejoong). She manages to trap him inside his hotel room, but it turns out that the police are currently occupying the same hotel to catch another assassin that has been on a murdering spree and leaving clues behind. This could end in many ways, and who knows who will come out on top!

Good Points

• Like many fans, I was initially motivated to watch the film thanks to the casting of K-idol Jaejoong and SBS Running Man’s ace Song Ji Hyo as I love both of them separately. I was pleasantly surprised by their acting abilities, both were able to pull off comedy pretty naturally and they had some great chemistry together.
• Despite the fact that the majority of the film takes place inside a single hotel, the story manages to keep you interested as you genuinely wonder what is going to happen in this ridiculous setting.
• The fight scenes in this film are pretty epic and really well choreographed, you have to wait for a while for the action to kick off, but you aren’t left disappointed when it finally does.
• The hotel owner and ‘ahjumma’ are really funny additional characters. They are present throughout the entire film too, which breaks up the primary narrative quite well.
• There is a very cool twist at the end; I will say no more so as not to spoil it for you.

Bad Points

• The film is fairly slow moving. As aforementioned, the plot keeps you interested, but action fans will be left waiting until penultimate scenes for their satisfaction.
• Most of the characters are fairly two-dimensional, of course you shouldn’t expect too much emotional depth from a comedy film, but it would have been better to be able to empathise with more than just the pop star victim and female assassin.
• There is something about this film that just falls flat with me. I feel that if the ending was a little less rushed, then it would have given a more balanced vibe. You see a lot of Choi Hyun’s suffering, but the ends are tied up too rapidly for my liking.

Overall
This film provides a laugh and makes for easy watching, it isn’t perfect and doesn’t tick all the boxes though. Fans on Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jaejoong will most likely be pleased by their performances, but viewers shouldn’t expect a ground-breaking piece of cinema here. However, the narrative is unusual, quirky and fun (completely typical of fluffy Asian film), but I would advise not to watch it in the presence of parents if you are easily embarrassed as there are quite a few S&M references made!