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"Mister Socrates" + DVD Giveaway

"Mister Socrates" + DVD Giveaway

Dong-hyeok (played byKim Rae-won) is a common street thug who is more skilled than most when it comes to the fine art of using physical intimidation and coercion to make other such hooligans do what he wants. Alas, all fun times must inevitably come to an end, and so Dong-hyeok comes under the tutelage of a nefarious criminal enterprise whose primary objective is to...force Dong-hyeok to get a decent education. Through physical intimidation and coercion, when necessary.

The basic premise of"Mister Socrates"is as comedy. Dong-hyeok is not a particularly intelligent or even charismatic lead character- he has arrived at this position largely through the dumb luck of low standards, and unruly punk that he is, forcefully resists any effort to learn anything. Even in Socrates-quoting mode, Dong-hyeok is unnaturally stubborn, and this is what ultimately leads"Mister Socrates"to attempt dramatic catharsis in the mode of personal motivation.

The serious plot is nothing special. Like at all really. If you've ever seen a movie where a generally unlikable character comes to see the advantage of moral scruples simply by dealing with unscrupulous people on too regular a basis, you can guess the overall plot arc easily enough. The scheme by which justice is finally done to the truly bad dudes is as unremarkable as it is formulaic. The villain's motive is too loosely defined and his actions too out of context to warrant much more than just generic dislike.

But ah, until we get to the inevitable plot,"Mister Socrates"is a genuinely entertaining and at times almost unique movie about Dong-hyeok being forced to gain greater life ambition through the very crass methods his would-be teachers are trying to force out of him. The one actually smart teacher in Dong-hyeok's circle of instructors is terrified of Dong-hyeok, and for that matter, all the other instructors and shows it every single scene he's in.

"Mister Socrates"is the kind of movie that makes its characters seem charming while simultaneously making it clear we would never actually want to be in the same room as any of these people. More than being scary they're all just kind of rude. It's often grastifying watching them all try to outsmart each other because hey, whichever one of these guys lose, we all win. Even the slightest moment of humiliation is worthwhile because the end-result is all these blank angry gestures. Nobody wants to bite anyone's ear, after all, unless the situation explicitly calls for it.

For all these strengths"Mister Socrates"is nonetheless hamstrung by the inability of the production team to create an overall story and motivation worthy of a massive street fight. Barely any attempt is even made at a mystery is made here, which is often a sure-fire way to ignite expectations by creating, well...expectations to be overturned."Mister Socrates"is very workmanlike and at times even amusing in the service of its more innovative elements and deadpan comedic delivery. Overall though, it's still not terribly remarkable.

Review by William Schwartz

"Mister Socrates"is directed byChoi Jin-wonand featuresKim Rae-won,Kang Shin-il,Lee Jong-hyuk,Yoon Tae-yeongandPark Seong-woong.

 

Mister Socrates DVD

Source from :Hancinema