The Accidental Gangster and the Mistaken Courtesan – Review

Once upon a time in the Joseon Dynasty in 1724, Chun-doong meets a beautiful woman. Having fallen in love at first sight, she moves to work at another bar. When he finds her new hiding place, however, he is warned away by her new manager. Soon, there is a gathering of the region’s gang bosses at the bar where Seol-ji now works. The meeting turns into chaos because of the incident and ends abruptly. A furious Man-deuk teams up with rival gangsters to plot the downfall of the Jjak-gwi gang.

Already from the first scene you will notice that this isn’t your typical historic piece. The only good thing about this movie is the fight scenes, the comedy is not that good and the plot is in a comic book style but not a good one. The laughs come thick and fast, with lots of slapstick gags which seems out of place given the circumstances and the setting.  You can see that the actors had a lot of fun making this movie. Action fans also won’t be disappointed since there is just enough.

In fact, the only good thing about this movie is the fight scene. For me, the main highlight of this movie is the CGI fight scenes which is like watching a cool cut scene in a fighting video game. Certain to be enjoyed by viewers looking for a fast paced slice of action comedy, I can recommend it only to that audience. Some people might enjoy The Accidental Gangster and the Mistaken Courtesan and in some parts the cinematography is well done but the trailer makes this movie look more entertaining to watch than it really is.

Before he knows it, because of his fighting skills Chun-doong becomes the replacement boss. This is a nice switch in the plot and makes for interesting situations. I must admit that glancing through some scenes that this movie seemed very goofy to me. Although, the romance scenes for once aren’t annoying and gives the movie it’s edge. Although a bit melodramatic it can be perceived as sincere. The emotions that are depicted by the main characters are universal and can be felt. Thumbs in the middle for this film.