Brave Citizen Review
Brave Citizen (2023) Film Review from the 28th Annual Fantasia International Film Festival, a movie directed by Park Jin-Pyo, written by Ji Na Yeo and starring Shin Hye-sun, Lee Chan-Hyeon, Cha Cheong-hwa, Park Hyuk-kwon and Lee Jun Young.
Brave Citizen is a South Korean gem of a film that has plenty of fast-paced action and a likable lead character in So Si-min (played wonderfully by Shin Hye-sun), a substitute teacher who has given up her former boxing career to take on the challenges of working in a high school. Directed by Park Jin-Pyo, this movie is absolutely entertaining and never stops for a breath of air. It keeps going like the Energizer Bunny and is all the most enjoyable as a result.
So Si-min is both humorous and serious in terms of the way she comes across on-screen. This character wants to work full-time at the high school in which she works and overhears things which are said about her at her job. When the co-principal gives her creepy looks, So Si-min doesn’t take to it well but wants to succeed so she moves forward. The problem with her job is the student bullying which is a bit excessive. A troublemaker named Han Soo-kang (a menacing Lee Jun Young) is the culprit mostly responsible although many of the other students are by his side in the nasty things that he does. When So Si-min witnesses a kid with a plastic bag over his head, she becomes involved and Han Soo-kang soon gets in trouble. His mom shows up at the school with a lawyer but that’s the least of the school’s problems.
There is a scene where a guy on the street starts acting aggressively towards So Si-min and this helps unleash her former past– she was a boxer and has that ability to fight rather well. She takes on this man to start and soon becomes willing to get back to her old self and utilize her talents in order to prevent chaos and protect the greater good. She dons a kitty cat mask which helps her get into her former being to kick butt and stop bullying in its tracks, beginning with the cause of the problem– Han Soo-kang.
This movie is absolutely surprising to watch. Shin Hye-sun is a straight-up movie star. She plays So Si-min with fierce authenticity and a bit of exaggeration to the character in order to make her more intriguing for viewers. She becomes not only the movie’s central heroine but also a superhero of sorts. So Si-min is not afraid to take out the garbage, so to say, to make her work environment a place she can be proud of, especially if she can get that full-time position she’s been dreaming of in the interim.
When the movie reaches its last scenes in a boxing match between two formidable opponents, the picture becomes the most exciting boxing movie I’ve seen since the Rocky pictures. Even if the action is more exaggerated here, it gives So Si-min a chance to take vengeance against the one who has made her life (and the lives of several students) very difficult. The kitty cat mask is perfect to capture the essence of So Si-min as a heroine and the picture gives the audience crowd-pleasing moments when the mask is finally removed and So Si-min reveals herself to the audience at the boxing match. She ties her hair back as she gets ready to solve the problem her school faces once and for all.
Brave Citizen is immensely watchable. Granted, the movie is overlong by about twenty minutes and has too many scenes of over-the-top violence set in the halls of the high school. The filmmakers may have thought these scenes were necessary to maintain viewer interest but the really great thing about the story is the actress who has been cast in the lead role. Without Shin Hye-sun’s likability, the movie would fall apart and be far-fetched. Instead, it’s an instant overdone crowd-pleaser that could have audiences cheering on our lead actress whose character is just like everybody else– looking to get by with a decent job. She doesn’t want to be pestered and doesn’t think bullying is justified so she takes matters into her own hands and audiences will enjoy the results.
If Brave Citizen is ultimately a bit too lengthy, it’s still never boring. Shin Hye-sun is probably a big star in her home country but she deserves to crossover to American audiences too. She has that rare movie star appeal that makes a film which could have felt a bit routine at times instead feel fresh and original. Brave Citizen won’t have audiences looking away from the screen and the fighting sequences at the end will knock your socks off. It’s nice to discover a unique talent like Shin Hye-sun in a movie that isn’t predictable and, alas, is the perfect action picture for audiences who like their movies both simple and fast-paced at the same time. Hye-sun adds that tremendous charm to the role that makes the movie an unforgettable time.
Rating: 7.5/10
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