Them Inkompetent Korean Koppers...
Seems as though the main reason why South Korean crime/thriller films
can stretch out to 2 hours is because of their exasperating portrayal of
clueless law enforcers. The Chaser, I Saw The Devil, Memories of Murder,
Mother...and who could forget the absurd foot chase scene in The Yellow
Sea, where the protagonist is being chased by a dozen cops (and a few
cruisers) waving bamboo sticks (!) in the air on a busy downtown street,
never getting their man? Main gripe is folk who say that Korean thrillers
are superior to American ones. Try taking the premise across the ocean
though: Cops would almost immediately get the job done right and the
film would be over in 30 minutes.