Synopsis
The film I will review today is Carter, a 2022 South Korean action-thriller film by Jung Byung-gil. It is a bold and adrenaline-infused cinematic experiment that blends non-stop action with a bolder approach to story delivery. In the not-too-distant future, a devastating virus wreaks havoc across the world. This serves as the backdrop for the film. The audience is placed squarely into the middle of the action through a protagonist that is just as lost as the audience is with the situation around him.
Like every good tale, this movie begins in the middle of the plot. A man wakes up in a hotel room with no recollection of who he is and how he got there. His name, Carter, is revealed to him shortly. He learns of a a mysterious voice guiding him through an embedded phone in his head telling him to follow commands if he wished to stay alive. For starters, he discovers that his body has been wired with an explosive and any wrong decision will lead to instant death. Naturally, this sets the stage for an intense and exhausting chase across an expansive area with seemingly impossible feats.
Outside the motel is a world in turmoil. A virus called the “DMZ” virus has wiped out both the North and South Korea populations, with the origin point believed to be the Korea Demilitarized Zone. The virus transforms its patients into aggressive, zombie-like monsters, with a cure nowhere near sight—except for a young girl named Ha-na, who possesses the cure within the bloodstream. According to the voice in his ear, Carter’s assignment is to retrieve Ha-na from multiple factions and transport her to North Korea where a potential cure can be made.
The South Korean and American forces’ focus on tracking him down has proved to be a challenge for Carter. Each side has their unique goals and motives. Completing Carter’s mission comes with confronting armed agents, whirling helicopters, speeding motorcyclists, trains, and entire gangs. While he fights through each group, pieces of his memories start to surface. It is possible he worked as a special agent, or even worse, a double agent. Alongside the haze of his missing wife, he is desperate to confirm if his daughter is infected with the DMZ virus.
Driven by external forces and an internal struggle to reconstruct his identity, Carter undergoes a captivating transformation throughout the movie. The geopolitical complexity and manipulation deepen when it is disclosed that the voice guiding him was a North Korean agent. Along the way, Carter’s self-contradictory loyalties to his family, past missions, and previously undertaken endeavors begin to blur.
Carter tries to escape North Korea after rescuing Ha-na from a moving train in the climax of the movie. The surge of breathtaking disclosures and betrayals throughout the movie helps Carter to survive a deadly train crash, barely. As he walks away from the wreck, the film ending is disastrous as there is unresolved ambiguity about his identity and destiny. This speculation fuels the anticipation for a sequel.
Cast & Crew
Joo Won stars in the movie as Carter, a dramatic shift from his previous roles which were more centered around tragic or romantic themes. The nearly two hour action sequence of the movie is entirely executed by Joo Won whom physically and emotionally sustain every demand, inspiring renewed hope for his fans. His performance showcases he is gritty, unwavering, and full of might. The character exists in a state of chaos and constant battle, which brings out vulnerablity and ferocity.
The film also features Lee Sung-jae who plays Kim Jong-hyuk, one of the key North Korean operatives in the movie. Jeong So-ri plays Ha-na who is the little girl with the virus that can save the world. Other supporting roles give the film an added International flavor which underscores the multi-national focus of the drama along with the conflicts at the center of the film’s plot, including Kim Bo-min, Camilla Belle and Mike Colter.
Jung Byung-gil, who directed The Villainess, is known for his stylized violence and merciless action, and in Carter, he seems to go even further adapting his vision to make a film that looks like it is shot all in one fluid motion. This effect, made possible by a unique blend of drone-operated cameras, CGI stitching, practical effects, and numerous rotating shots, places viewers in the heart of the turmoil with the action.
Carter plunges headfirst into an innovative challenge with Ju Seung-chul’s direction. The camera follows every angle revolving around Carter from the inside, be it underwater, indoors, airborne, or on rooftops, making it impossible not to be amazed by the new heights cinematography is reaching. The result is an enthralling but dizzying visual ride.
In the score, Kim Tae-seong employs the use of electronic and orchestral accents to amplify tension and maintain the relentless pace of the narrative. Furthermore, the sound design is worthy of commendation as every punch, crash, and gunshot is rendered with brutal clarity.
Ratings on IMDb and Reviews
Carter has a rating of 5.1/10 on IMDb, which indicates mixed reception from the PUBLIC and the CRITICS. Much like in other cases, the merits and challenges of the Carter seem to arise from the film’s experimental nature. Many accoladed the ambition behind the effortless film, but many critiqued the single take nature of the film shot being too energetic.
Critics have noted that it’s difficult to categorize Carter as there is little plot or sentiment since the audience is being put through a rollercoaster. It lacks a still camera; instead, it uses a continuous one. This technology acts as a reflection for how the main actor mentally perceives himself, in a disoriented, fragmented reality. Despite how this motion is stimulating, it’s often overwhelming.
Carter is regarded as a breath of fresh air within the action genre by fans of experimental cinema due to the primal vision and unpredictable nature of the film. Others have compared the film to multiplayer games like Call of Duty and Resident Evil where the storytelling elements take a backseat to immersive action.
In contrast, the critiques claim that the plot is overly complicated and lacks sufficient detail. Additionally, they argue that Cater’s emotional moments fell flat and did not hit intensely enough. Though Cater is said to be physically imposing, the summary of his character’s backstory alongside the overwhelming number of action sequences make it hard to empathize. Plus, some of the CGI was deemed subpar, including the helicopter scenes and those set in large open areas.
In spite of these critiques, Carter is remarkably bold in its genre-defying effort. Mixing South Korean action with Hollywood style is something rarely seen, and as such it makes for something beautiful and grotesque at the same time.
Conclusion
Carter is certainly not a film suited for every audience. The pacing is jarring, with nonstop levels of action and tension unlike anything seen before. Traditional narratives take a back seat, as the film opts for what can only be termed as “experiential cinema.” The dizzying single-shot style paired with a seemingly endless dramatic premise and understated performances invite audiences to witness a world on the brink of annihilation through the eyes of an unraveling protagonist.
Even though the picture might overlook the complexity of feelings and structural storytelling, it compensates for those faults with breathtaking feats of bold visuals, unmatched spectacle, and unapologetic creativity. For viewers ready to lose themselves in its whirlwind pace, Carter serves as an unparalleled roller coaster experience—a hallucinatory nightmare of brutality depicting the struggle for self and existence.
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