A year or so back Korean director Shin Tae-Ra made waves on the international scene with Black House, a surprisingly effective horror-thriller that went out of its way to prove that if you happen to be an insurance investigator it pays to simply not give a damn. It was a dark tale of spousal abuse and extortion that spiraled down into vicious slasher territory and did it all with aplomb. I gave it a rather favorable review here and am now sitting here wondering why I didn't pick it up on DVD at the time ...
Anyway ... all of this to say that Shin is back and while he's staying firmly in the genre territory that he loves, this time out it's an entirely different genre: the action comedy with a romantic twist. You know the deal: attractive but quiet bank teller by day turns secret agent at night and must partner with her ex-boyfriend to foil a Russian plot to obtain biological weapons. Original? Not particularly, but Shin's strength is in the execution so I'm more than a little curious.
The first teaser started appearing on Korean movie sites a couple days back in a perversely stubborn video format but I've got the thing wrestled into shape now and you can find it below the break in the Twitch Player.
"Black House, a surprisingly effective horror-thriller that went out of its way to prove that if you happen to be an insurance investigator it pays to simply not give a damn. "
Heh, this is a tidy little subgenre methinks.....
See also: Into the Mouth of Madness, The Ninth Gate, Memento and A Little Trip To Heaven