In
terms of originality and quality, Northeast
of Seoul is a bust. The narrative is muddy, the thrills are trite, and the
way Hollywood stars interact with foreign culture is about as authentic as an
episode of The Love Boat. There’s
also something innately comical about presenting corpulent ’60s star Victor
Buono as a man of action. Having said all that, Northeast of Seoul is enjoyable if you’re receptive to its tacky
pleasures, such as Buono creeping through a mansion like a ninja or running
through forests like he’s James Bond on a secret mission. Nothing about Northeast of Seoul bears the slightest
resemblance to human reality, so while the picture isn’t quite camp, it’s thoroughly
silly.
Set in Korea, the movie concerns the search for a priceless ancient
sword. Some parties want it for purposes of historical preservation, others
want it because of its value on the black market, and still others want it
because it’s purported to imbue its possessor with magical powers. Flanaghan
(John Ireland) is a down-on-his-luck American working as a tour guide, since he
knows Seoul as well as most natives. At the beginning of the picture, he
attends a funeral and reconnects with Portman (Buono), an American art dealer
based in Seoul, and Katherine (Anita Ekberg), an international woman of
mystery. Long ago, they were partners with the man who just died, so when they
get a tip that someone has found the long-missing Kuguro Sword, they team up
again to find the artifact.
Borrowing style and themes from The Maltese Falcon (1941) and its myriad
imitators, Northeast of Seoul
portrays a tenuous alliance among untrustworthy people, with each scene
introducing a new betrayal. This results in a storyline that’s always eventful
but rarely clear—the filmmakers seem to believe that as long as lots of things
are happening and people regularly jab each other with pithy dialogue, explanations
are unnecessary. Ireland does a fair job channeling Humphrey Bogart-style
cynicism, and Buono, as always, injects his villainous characterization with
playful humor. Ekberg contributes the least of the three marquee names, but her
presence is amusingly incongruous. Also of interest is extensive location
photography throughout Seoul and the surrounding areas, as well as the use of
classical Korean instruments on the soundtrack.
Northeast of Seoul: FUNKY
1 comment:
What a riot of fonts on that poster.
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