The Devil’s Deal (2023) Movie Review
Entering a political year that is increasingly heating up in Indonesia, we need to learn how the political world is actually done by politicians in the real world. There are no permanent friends, and even friends can become enemies in an instant. Vice versa, opponents can be partnered to smooth the ambition to enter the world of political arena which is tough and full of deception. The Devil’s Deal clearly illustrates how dirty the political world is and can drag many people up to the top ranks of government.
CGV yesterday held the first screening of a Korean film entitled The Devil’s Deal which will be broadcast on March 29, 2023. The director, Lee Won-tae, previously directed The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil (2019), which premiered at Cannes and is popular overseas. including Indonesia. His latest film, The Devil’s Deal , which has a political thriller drama genre set in 1992 in Korea is indeed very interesting.
Apart from starring 3 well-known Korean actors, the storyline is also very related to the time when South Korea was for the first time led by a president who came from civil society, not led by a military junta or soldiers who turned politicians. It was these crucial and important periods for Korea towards democratization that Lee Won-tae tried to bring up in The Devil’s Deal , considering how confined Korea was at that time, and there were several parties who tried to use the issue of the presidential election as a stepping stone into the world of politics. A number of individuals are scrambling for public sympathy in order to smooth their careers as assembly members.
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Devil’s Deal Review (2023) Synopsis
On the eve of the 1992 general election, Jeon Hae-woong (Cho Jin-woong), a candidate for assembly in Busan, continues to practice speaking in front of a mirror so that he can face the people in his neighborhood and gain support to run for National Assembly after 20 years of poor luck. years as a local politician.
Jeon’s attitude in favor of the residents in the land development project environment ultimately annoyed the wrong people. Jeon’s fame has indeed received a positive response from the local population, but Kwon Soon-tae (Lee Sung-min), one of the influential businessmen in Busan who is considered a “king maker” by many parties, feels that this is not enough. Kwon did not like Jeon Hae-woong’s emergence to be elected as the official Democratic Party candidate, and preferred other candidates who were not well known.
Kwon Soon-tae then arranged for Jeon to be expelled from the party and the vote. As a result, Jeon Hae-woong ran as an independent candidate with no party to run as a candidate. It didn’t take him long to lead the polls again. In order to change the situation, Jeon has a wit and obtains secret documents related to the redevelopment plan in the Busan area. Since his opponent was playing dirty, Jeon didn’t hesitate to do the same.
After he obtains classified documents, Jeon forms an alliance with Kim Pil-do (Kim Mu-yeol), a gangster who is also a loan shark to provide him with campaign funds and soon finds evidence of Kwon’s crimes. Will Jeon be able to get rid of Kwon forever or will Jeon fail at Kwon’s hands?
Devil’s Deal Review (2023) Review
The acting and narrative are pretty solid
For matters of acting, there is no doubt, the three main players have been poor across the Korean film world. We will also be presented with a solid story until the end, although there are some scenes that seem jumping and need further explanation, The Devil’s Deal remains easy to understand even for viewers who are unfamiliar with the world of politics.
The cinematography is very interesting and artistically detailed
Set in 1992, of course, adjustments were needed from all the artistic elements to the wardrobe. And this film successfully portrays that element. Starting from costumes, cars, even residential areas that are typical of the 90s depicted in this film. The Busan area is still described as a quiet and abandoned area, far from massive development. However, in several scenes, we are still presented with beautiful nature wrapped in a distant sunset.
Devil’s Deal Conclusion
The Devil’s Deal is not a typical Korean thriller that we often see. This film raises all the intrigue that politicians usually do to their competitors or to their political opponents. Buying and selling threats, or even just bluffing, is fine to do as long as the goal is achieved. In practice, such political conspiracies are common in many countries around the world, although the methods are different, but the most extreme consequence is the death of political opponents.
This film might seem boring to some people, but for those who like the theme of political conspiracies, this film is a must watch. The acting and narrative are quite solid so that we can enjoy this film until it’s finished. The Devil’s Deal is available to watch starting March 29, 2023 on the networkCGV and Cinepolis.