The Childe Review: Neo-noir movies in the South Korean landscape are not something new. We have had movies like Man in Heels, Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance which brilliantly underline the genre. The charm of neo-noir movies comes from the high-octane action, actions speaking louder than words (literally!), adrenaline rising by the minute and a mystery underneath the raw violence depicted on screen.

Come 2023, there was a gap in the release of neo-noir movies but that was soon filled with The Childe. The movie, helmed by director Park Hoon Jung, marks a stunning debut of Kim Seon Ho in the movies. It was released in theatres internationally in the month of June, with more countries on schedule for a later date.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Also Read: See You In My 19th Life Netflix Review: Another Shin Hye-Sun Hit

The Childe Trailer

The Childe Movie Summary

The Childe tells the story of Marco Han, a Kopino. Kopino is a term used for those children who are half Filipino and half Korean. Marco is struggling to make ends meet and pay for his mother’s medical bills. He is an underground boxer who is unexpectedly taken to South Korea. He is told that his father wants to meet with him. Thinking that he would get to meet his father and also solve his financial issues, Marco goes to South Korea.

But things are not as easy or simple as they seem. There are some notorious people on Marco’s back who want him dead. What was supposed to be a simple meet and greet with his birth father turns to be a near-fatal cat and mouse chase with the hired guns.

The Childe Review – Is the Childe worth watching?

The Childe is one of those movies which will make you wonder if there even will be an end to the story, but not in a bad way. We are introduced with Kim Seon Ho’s character Nobleman, who is a ruthless killer. His methods to end someone’s life are quite pain and agony inducing and gory, to say the least. Like any other character of dubious background, Nobleman has an agenda of his own. His mostly lies with money, but we see that he does favour Marco Han eventually.

Also Read: Revenant Season 1 Review: A Chilling Tale of A Sacrifice Gone Wrong

The movie’s duration is just under two hours. The viewers are thrust into the epicentre of action with little to no premise. Each character is dubious than the last and that is what makes it much more intriguing to watch. A bunch of gray characters come together in this movie to give the audience a goosebump inducing experience.

The beauty of the neo-noir movies lies in the detail. If one is vigilant of each character’s movement, dialogue and reaction in any given scene, it would be somewhat easy to find the hidden eggs which would eventually lead to a stunning plot twist. The plot twist of The Childe is something that you might not fully expect to see. The epilogue of the movie gives out a promising lead that there could be a sequel to the Nobleman’s not-so-noble deeds.

Kim Seon Ho couldn’t have chosen a better movie for his big screen debut. The actor who shot to a newfound fame with Hometown Cha Cha Cha as the adorkable Chief Hong, showed a new side to his acting chops with his role as Nobleman. Foul language and curse words are his mother tongue, and the slight shot at humour whenever he is on screen adds to the likeability of his character.

Kang Tae Joo, who plays Marco Han is an underrated actor. Kang’s portrayal of a Kopino is quite remarkable. The anguish, pain and the anger wrapped within a brooding young man is displayed brilliantly by Kang. He is slated to appear in the second season of Pachinko. Go Ara as the mysterious hit-woman is a good addition to the string of mysterious characters in the film. We are not quite sure if her character was actually killed by the Nobleman, but nonetheless Go Ara gives a brilliant razor edge performance.

The Childe Review – JAL Rating

JAL gives “The Childe” 4 out of 5 stars for its steady pace, intrigue and that unthinkable plot twist. Have you watched the movie yet? What are your thoughts about The Childe?

Other Trending Articles

• City Hunter Movie Review: A whip and crack adaptation
• Dead Boy Detectives Review: An engaging tale of supernatural investigation
• Love Reset Movie Review: A quirky tale of second chance romance
• Maamla Legal Hai Series Review: Witness the other side of the law