Botongsaram / Ordinary Person (2017) - Dramatic history lesson with some food for thought - 7/10 (02/07/18)

Ordinary Person is a South Korean drama hat convinces with authentic settings, historical elements and intriguing characters. It tells the story of an uprighteous police officer who dreams of a promotion and has to deal with severe poverty, a physically disabled son and a mute wife. One day, he gets involved in a conspiracy led by National Security agents who ask him to frame an innocent mentally disabled man as dangerous serial killer to prevent public unrest. The police officer cooperates at first as his son gets an expensive operation in return but his conscience soon comes into play. The protagonist has to chose whether he wants to be a corrupt police officer leading a prosperous life or an ordinary man fighting corruption and injustice.

There are several elements that make Ordinary Person a very good movie. First of all, the authentic settings bring back to life what South Korea was like thirty years ago when it was far from being as democratic, sociable and wealthy as it is nowadays. Tiny houses, poor neighborhoods and bumpy roads can be seen everywhere. The historical elements are perfectly integrated and portray a country led by deviant rich that prevented democracy, equality and especially free speech. The characters are quite interesting as it's easy to identify with a police officer torn between moral principals and pressure from his country's elite. The side characters are also quite complex and detailed. The final third of the movie features a tense plot and a multitude of dramatic emotions leading towards an epic finale.

Ordinary Person als has a few minor flaws. First of all, the movie is overall a little bit too long and would have been much more efficient if it had been twenty to thirty minutes shorter. Especially the middle section is quite dragging and only develops the main character in a slow and stoic pace while neglecting the plot. Another issue is the film's strangely light-hearted introduction that shows two police officers chasing a local thug in a slapstick manner that almost recalls the Police Academy franchise. The first twenty minutes don't set the tone for the rest of the movie that is quite emotional and serious. The overture feels completely misplaced. Ordinary Person is a drama that focuses on great dialogues but misses out on a few action sequences that would have given the movie some oomph to go along with the dramatic plot. The few scenes portraying police investigation are also quite brief and could have been more developed. The case of the serial killer is neglected midway through the movie and even completely abandoned by the end.

In the end, I would recommend this film if you like intellectual dramas with credible characters, profound dialogues and detailed plot. If you expect a gripping crime flick like Memories of Murder or a breathtaking action movie like Confidential Assignment, you might end up being disappointed. If you accept the movie for what it really is, you will get a very good drama with some food for thought and an intriguing history lesson about South Korea.