One Line Review: “No.3” has a lavish cast that will never be seen again
Title: No.3 (넘버 3)
Director: Song Neung-han (송능한)
Starring: Han Suk-kyu (한석규), Choi Min-Sik (최민식), Lee Miyeon (이미연)
Released in theater: August 2nd, 1997, South Korea
Rating: 4/5
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128371/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_4_tt_8_nm_0_q_no.3
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/no3
01 : No.3 Characters
Han Suk-kyu as Seo Tae-joo
Seo Tae-joo is the number three in the organization and is in charge of the actual organization work, assisting the boss, Do-sik.
Although he has a bitter relationship with the ashtray, he is recognized for his abilities by Do-sik.
He wants to expand the organization and take over as number one, but it’s not easy because of Prosecutor Madongpal, who focuses on gangsters.
Choi Min-Sik as Prosecutor Ma Dong-pal
A foul-mouthed prosecutor who would rather hate thugs than kill them.
He is notorious for destroying organizations once he touches them.
He hates Tae-joo because he’s a thug, too, but after a fight with him, he develops an inexplicable bond with him.
However, Tae-joo wants to get rid of Dong-pal in order to expand his organization.
02: No.3 Movie Characteristics
This movie is characterized by its lavish cast. Han Suk-kyu, Choi Min-Sik, Song Kang-ho, Lee Miyeon, Ahn Seok-hwan, and Park Sang Myeon are all in the cast, and it would be delusional to wish for a cast like this now.
This movie is a gangster comedy, a unique genre in Korea, and it’s different from the gangster comedies that have appeared since the 2000s.
There’s no forced glorification of gangsters, and there’s no forced coolness in the action scenes. In other words, it’s a movie that doesn’t reject gangster comedies.
However, it’s a very good comedy about gangsters.
It’s not just funny, it’s connected to things like the social reality of gangs.
At the center of that is the power of the screenplay, which is very well crafted.
The characters are very distinctive and they set up their characters very well.
The plot is very well organized, there’s a lot of attention to detail in the dialog, there’s a lot of comedic relief, and the way the events unfold
the way the events unfolded.
And, as mentioned above, we made sure to tie in the social aspect of the movie to make it more acceptable.
02-01: Tae-Joo, the main character
Let’s take a look at the characters first. First, the main character, Tae-joo, is the number three in the organization.
He hates this title and claims to be number two.
He doesn’t trust people very well, which can be seen in the line where he says that he trusts his wife, Jung Hyun (Im Yeon), 51%.
You never know when you’re going to get stabbed in the back. Also, I don’t do things ignorantly, I do things rationally and reasonably.
I would say that he feels inferior for not being number one, but he’s a master at working his way up.
One thing that’s impressive is the way he struggles. At the beginning of the movie, Tae-joo saves Do-sik (Ahn Seok-hwan) and is recognized as an organizational powerhouse.
Before that, we see him eating ramen with the locals. He becomes a powerhouse and moves into a bigger house.
He eats ramen noodles with wine on the table.
I think this represents Tae-joo’s determination to stay on his toes and not lose his focus until he becomes number one.
02-02: Other characters
Besides Tae-joo, there’s Ma Dong-pal, a prosecutor with a unique charm that doesn’t look like a prosecutor.
“Ashtray” (Park Sang Myeon) who loses his temper and hits people with an ashtray.
Jo Pil (Song Kang-ho), who emphasizes the spirit of hunger and stage presence.
The characters make us laugh, and the process of creating them is seamless and not at all forced. It makes the audience recognize the characters naturally, as if they have known them before.
02-03: No.3 Story
The story of this movie is also very clear. He saves his boss and becomes the best, but his position is threatened again.
threatened again.
How he resolves that conflict is the point and the climax of the movie. There are elements of comedy thrown in along the way, but they’re subtle and intertwined with the central story.
Also, as I mentioned above, I cared a lot about the dialog. It speaks for the character, it chews up society relentlessly,
scratch people’s insides, and in some cases, make them laugh out loud.
Tae-joo’s 51% is especially touching at the end of the movie.
Aside from the strength of the screenplay, the movie’s hallmark is that the actors, for once, deliver good performances for such a lavish lineup.
This is so obvious that it’s almost not worth mentioning.
02-04: The catharsis of No.3
Another characteristic of the movie is that it scratches the audience’s nerves. Madong-pal Prosecutor lives with a foul mouth and hates thugs with a passion.
On the outside, he looks like an ordinary office worker who is dissatisfied with society, but on the inside, he is united by justice and uprightness.
What he does to the thugs is something that many citizens only think about in their minds. Hitting them, talking back to them,
He literally educates them.
In doing so, he scratches the audience’s nerves, and he also serves as the definition of a thug.
Unlike other gangster comedies, it captures the physiology of a gangster: the fear of being betrayed at any moment and the anxiety of being a social cancer. We can see that Tae-joo’s final choice is driven by that.
02-05: Fun of the movie?
This movie is entertaining, but I don’t think it’s a movie I’d recommend to everyone now, because it’s so reflective of its time.
The humor trends, clothing trends, speech patterns, etc. are very far from what we have now. It’s kind of cheesy, to say the least. I think people who are used to what we have now would probably say that after watching the movie.
But if you watch the movie with that in mind, you’ll find it entertaining and enjoyable.
03: Conclusion
This movie is a must-see if you’re curious about the younger versions of famous Korean actors.
It also sets the tone for how gangster comedies should be made.
For a movie that’s been talked about a lot, it’s surprisingly engrossing.
It’s a fun movie to watch and laugh at.
