Directed by Jee-woon Kim
Written by Dae-woo Kim and Jee-woon Kim

A wimpy, incompetent bank clerk decides to become a pro wrestler. (IMDB)

And so to the third in a trio of recent screeners for some recent classic Korean films. Only this wasn’t the third thriller I was expecting! Teach me not to read things properly. After the John Wick stylings of A Bittersweet Life and the dark, grimy underbelly of Korean prostitution rings in The Chaser, comes The Foul King, which couldn’t have been more different!

But in a good way.

Song Kang-ho (Parasite, The Host) is Im Dae-ho a meek and mild bank clerk who seemingly hates his job, is bullied by his boss, and is too shy to speak to “the girl.” Fed up with everything and humiliated after his boss puts him in a headlock at work, Dae-ho starts hanging around a run down wrestling gym in the hope of being trained to fight back and stick up for himself.

Unbenknownst to him, the gym boss (Park Sang-Myeon) is a famous wrestler from the golden age of wrestling and Dae-ho’s hero. In need of a wrestler for a bout with the reigning champion, they take Dae-ho on and train him ready for the fight and a moonlighting career as the Foul King, a wrestler who specialises in cheating!

This obviously teaches Dae-ho about life and how to stand up for himself and others as well as help rekindle a strained relationship with his disappointed father.

TFK is an absolutely daft and silly film about wrestling and about self-confidence. I was expecting another thriller when I went it because I didn’t do my homework properly (sorry) so was plesantly surprised by the change in direction and pace. While it is not as violent or bloody as the previous two films, it is no less hard-hitting with some brutal wrestling scenes that are superbly choreographed and just as exciting as any Rocky film.

There is also a lot of fun to be had here. The Foul King uses a variety of “tools” in his cheating, for instance, a wooden spoon, painted to make it look metal. What could possibly go wrong? As much as the fights are brutal, they also have elements of slapstick, playing on the strengths of professional wrestling. Everyone knows it isn’t real, but TFK runs with this and still makes its wrestling ascenes brutal, bone-crunching dramas while recognising the pantomime and entertainment roots of the sport.

Will Dae-ho’s new found physical and mental strength help him beat his boss and get the girl? Well, you’ll have to watch to find out but you may not get all the answers you want. The Foul King is not a particulalrly deep film and it is played well for laughs. There are some truly funny moments and all of the actors play great roles to bring the film to life. Where it faltered slightly for me was in tying up loose ends. For example, a sub-plot that hints at corruption in Dae-ho’s bank and the effect that has on his best friend isn’t really resolved. The movie ends with a pratfall and a big laugh, but various things unsresolved, which could be an issue for some but, for me, TFK did what I think it was supposed to do; be a big barrel of laughs about wrestling in Korea. And it does this in spades, but respectfully without punching down and ridiculing the sport. It would have been very easy to poke fun at wrestling, but TFK concentrates on humourous characters who take the sport very seriously.

I’m not a wrestling fan, I really know very little about it. I haven’t seen many other films about wrestlers, but, if this is one of the only ones I ever see, then it was 2 hours well spent. TFK King is a lot of silly fun and recommended for a good old chuckle.

The Foul King is out now on streaming platforms.