[Review] The Neighbors (dir. Kim Hwee, 2012)

이웃사람 
The Neighbors 
Directed by Kim Hwee
Starring Kim Yoon Jin, Ma Dong Seok, Kim Sae Ron, Kim Sung Kyun, Cheon Ho Jin
2012

Two hours spent waiting for the thriller that never happens. ★★☆

Spoiler-free. 

The Neighbors is a 2012 thriller based on a popular webtoon series of the same title by webtoon artist Kang Full (A.P.T, 26 Years Later, Hello School Girl). While numerous Kang Full comics have been adapted for the screen, The Neighbors is still Kang Full's biggest box office hit to date.

The film centers around the idea that a serial killer could be anyone's neighbour. In the movie, our serial killer is played by the awesomely creepy Kim Sung Kyun (perhaps the most well-known to international audiences as Sam Cheon Po from the hit drama Reply 1994). He lives in villa #102 in Kangsan Mansion, an old neighbourhood preparing itself for remodeling. We learn of his existence and his deeds from the very beginning of the movie, as this isn't a whodunit film.

Thus the film drives most of its suspense from the interactions between its entire team of nine 'main' characters. Kim Sae Ron plays Yeo Sun, the girl kidnapped and murdered by her neighbour serial killer, and also Soo Yeon, another girl in the neighbourhood who looks identical to Yeo Sun. Kim Sae Ron is great as the two girls with strikingly different personalities. Kim Yoon Jin plays the grieve-struck mother of Yeo Sun, while Ma Dong Seok is a thug with a criminal record who freely bullies Kim Sung Kyun's character whenever he can. There are other characters too: a neighbourhood guard, Soo Yeon's nosy mother, a pizza delivery boy with a keen eye, and a gullible luggage shop owner. Each of these nine characters are simple but distinctive, a great setup for a thriller with an ensemble cast.

There are some precious interactions between the big cast scattered throughout the movie. Notable is any interaction between Kim Sung Kyun and Ma Dong Seok. Kim Sung Kyun plays a chilling and menacing serial killer who is pretty frightening, but whenever he is in front of Ma Dong Seok's unruly loan shark character, he turns into this pathetic loser. Ma Dong Seok is fantastic as the merciless thug. Nevertheless, he is a bit too good at playing the typical thug archetype, it almost makes the movie seem a bit off its grounds.

Ma Dong Seok is fantastic in The Neighbors as the loud, unruly thug, but almost too comically so. 

Yet, despite the setup, The Neighbors falls flat and is largely uninteresting as a thriller. Even as someone who has not read the original source material, the major plot points of the movie were highly predictable. As these kinds of movies thrive on suspense, the lack thereof is glaringly noticeable. The film doesn't seem to know what to do with all its well-crafted characters, as they run into each other messily for the climax. Even until the end, the movie is too preoccupied with looking after each of the characters to be cohesive.

Ultimately, it only ends up being a movie with good source material and great cast but fails to make any impact.

Addendum : The song that plays during the closing credits is really chilling and probably better than anything in the movie. Kim Sae Ron actually sang the song, which is called "귀가 (Going Home)".