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Addiction And Dedication

Keith A. Jones | Philadelphia PA | 03/19/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Addicted is a film that could have been so much more but it just never reached the potential of its story. The synopsis will no doubt attract people because it is very unique and very hard to perfect. The movie is about two brothers named Ho-jun and Dae-jun. Dae-jun is the younger brother. The two live in a house together and that would be cool except Ho-jun is married. You come to find it suspicious that Dae-jun even wants to be around his brother and sister-in-law Eun-soo because it's not even like he has financial problems because he's a professional racecar driver. The couple really want him to find a girlfriend and move out but for some reason he won't even try.

Dae-jun had an important race coming up and wanted Ho-jun to come but because Ho-jun thought racing was too dangerous he didn't want to go and end up seeing his brother get injured. Ho-jun decided to support his brother despite his own objections. It was a little late but if Ho-jun hurried and got a taxi he could make it in time to see the last few laps of the race. The taxi oversped and was hit by a truck, and Ho-jun was left seriously hurt. At the same time the truck hit the taxi, Dae-jun's headset wasn't working properly while his team was telling him that there was an accident on the track. Dae-jun's car ran into a medical truck and he was also left critically injured. Sadly both brothers went into a coma and after a year Dae-jun would be the only one to wake up while Ho-jun was brain dead.

This is when the film starts to get interesting because Dae-jun starts claiming that he is his brother Ho-jun. He spends the rest of the movie trying to convince Eun-soo that he is her husband Ho-jun. The problem with Addicted is certainly not the acting; it's the poor writing. Yes the concept of the film is interesting and sounds great but the dialogue and overall writing is bad. One example is when Dae-jun woke up in the hospital he looks at himself in the mirror and says nothing and does nothing. If I was in another persons body I would be yelling or something because it wouldn't be my body. Dae-jun's character takes a while to start claiming that he is his brother and that is enough to give away the films twist. A lot of clues in the film weren't emphasized either and were just given a quick glance.

The film was also a little slow at times and the picture and sound quality was just really crappy. I read that this movie is going to be remade with Sarah Michelle Gellar and some guy I don't really know. If it is rewritten properly with a better script it will probably be the first American remake of a Korean film that is actually better than the original Korean movie. Overall Addicted wasn't awful but it needed a lot of work on the script and camera work, the actors help the movie a lot. I think that 3 stars is fair because of the good acting and unique concept, you might not catch the flaws fully unil the second time you watch the movie. There's nothing really super special about this movie but it is still worth a watch."

[3.5]--I couldn't help but to be touch by this story

Jenny J.J.I. | That Lives in Carolinas | 04/11/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Young-hoon Park has created an absorbing tale well told and acted by his four mains, they play well off each other and the range of emotion, especially from Mi-yeon Lee, is heartfully felt. Like many of Asian, and especially Korean dramas, this can be a slow moving affair, well, slow in comparison in the hyper unreality of most western soaps and dramas, so to a patient viewer this has much to offer.

Again, Lee-Mi-Yeon (Eun-su) shows great versatility as her character goes through a range of emotions. She conveys her recent loss subtly and her suffering comes across powerfully on screen, especially as Eun-su learns to rediscover her relationship with her former lover, albeit through the body of his younger brother Dae-jin. Lee Byung-Hun (Dae-Jin) has dual roles as the womanizing egomaniac and the romantic lost soul whose complicated fate is the basis for this twisted story of love and betrayal. He excels when playing the unselfish alter ego of his actual character as he tries to win back the heart of his lost love through familiar romantic gestures.

Park Young-Hoon's direction is gentle and all the more compelling for it. A study in how far somebody will go in the pursuit of love. "Addicted" really deserves an audience, I can imagine the masses at the multiplex giving it a miss but I it deserves to be discovered on DVD I certainly recommended to any one who enjoys romance or foreign films in general.
"

Addicted to love

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 01/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you could get true love with a lie, would you do it? If you were told that your love was now in another body, would you believe it?

Those questions are at the heart of "Addicted," a painfully beautiful romance about a very ordinary love triangle, which turns out in a very extraordinary way. Young-hoon Park films this with exquisitely delicate care and some very subtle, powerful acting, as well as gentle humour and some very erotic romance.

The movie opens with brief, sepia-toned shots of Ho-Jin (Eol Lee) and Dae-Jin (Byung-hun Lee) playing basketball and bonding... only to be replaced by Ho-Jin's frolicking with Eun-Su (Mi-yeon Le).

Three years after they wed, they're still madly in love, and Dae-Jin is now living with them as a race car driver. But one day he crashes during a big race, and at that exact moment Ho-Jin's taxi is smashed by a bus. A year later, Dae-jin miraculously wakes from his coma and wanders out into the lobby. He's a bit dazed but okay physically and mentally, though Ho-Jin is practically dead, still hooked up to machines.

Eun-Su brings her young brother-in-law home, and for awhile he silently tries to recuperate. But then she starts noticing odd little quirks in his behavior that her husband had, and even tinkers in his abandoned art studio. Has the dying Ho-jin somehow been reborn in Dae-jin, or is Dae-jin pulling some kind of elaborate hoax? Eun-su struggles with the possibilities as she finds herself falling in love with him...

You could say that "Addicted" was the basis for the movie "Birth," as well as an upcoming Hollywood remake. Reincarnation is obviously a major plot device in Asia, but the heart of the story could be from anywhere -- what person who has loved and lost wouldn't be afraid -- and overjoyed -- at the possibility of their love being returned to them?

The story does slow down considerably when Dae-jin is released from the hospital, and for awhile we mainly have him and Eun-su wordlessly circling around the house. But after that, the film blossoms and picks up speed -- we get not only some really erotic love scenes, but the painful subplot about Ho-jin's dying body, and the question of whether Dae-jin is truly possessed by his brother's spirit.

As an exquisite directorial touch, the movie is bathed in a luminous golden light, which shines the most strongly when the main characters are together. And Young-hoon Park sprinkles it with some truly exquisite scenes, like the adrenaline-charged race/drive, or the flashback to Eun-Su driving through dandelions. But there are some darker moments -- Eun-su's harsh recounting of her old memories of Ho-jin, or receiving a nasty note from Dae-jin's ex-girlfriend.

The ending is actually a bit of a shock, especially in Eun-su's response. I won't go into exactly what Eun-Su learns, but it leaves you wondering what is ahead for these two, and whether love is still there.

But the actors are what really bring it alive. Mi-young Le is absolutely brilliant as the pained, sorrowful young widow who finds love again, and Byung-hun Lee is absolutely eerie -- this guy really did acquire Eol Lee's mannerisms at times. Together, they have really fiery sexual tension, but also a playful side -- there's an adorable scene where they romp through the grocery store, grabbing produce.

Don't expect romantic hijinks in "Addicted" -- expect beautiful direction, and amazing acting. It's a quiet, slow-moving little gem."

Decent , casual crowd pleaser

Woopak | Where Dark Asian Knights Dwell | 04/26/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I have seen a LOT of Korean films as of late. Matter of fact I have good-sized collection. Addicted (aka: The Poisoning)is a drama with a mix of mystery, romance and the (perhaps)supernatural. It had a slight box office success in Korea, but most people, I think, would be in the "not so good", and "not so bad" status. It is middle of the road.

Hojin(Eol lee, Samaria)a woodwork artist, is married to Eun-soo(Mi-yeon Lee). They are a recently wed couple and so their romance is very much alive and they get along remarkably. Ho-jin's brother, Dae-jin(Byung Hyun Lee, A Bittersweet Life), a bachelor and a race car driver lives in their house with them.
One day, Ho-jin had an accident in a cab while his brother Dae-jin had an incident in the race track. Both brothers end up in a coma. Dae-jin wakes up from his coma and spends months trying to recover from the experince, until one day, he starts to show unusual behavior. He starts doing chores like his brother, gardening, cooking, working in his brother's woodshop, even doing his brother's routine, like leaving Eun-soo's toothbrush for her. Basically, Dae-jin is doing all the stuff his brother used to do.
Dae-jin soon insists that he is Ho-jin, steadfastly maintaining that he is possessed and being taken over by his brother's spirit. They try hypnotherapy, brain scans, drugs, even a little old fashioned "have him sweat it out with manual labor", but his transformation into his brother seems to continue. Even more disturbing for Eun-soo, is that he seems to know things only Ho-jin would know. The widow soon finds herself being slowly convinced that her husband may actually live on in the physical body of his brother. Do they start an affair? Watch the film.

The film is a blend of GHOST, BIRTH and The TALENTED MR. RIPLEY. I don't want to divulge any more details because it may ruin the experience. One question would come to mind is: Is he or Isn't he? Is Dae-jin mentally ill, is he playing a con or is he really possessed by his brother? The last act of the film is actually very touching.

The Korean 2-disc SE region-3 release is almost 45 minutes longer than the Tai Seng release from what I've heard. I cannot disclose the difference since I only saw the Tai Seng release(112 minutes).

Picture: Anamorphic widescreen?? The transfer is terrible. Colors are bland and hardly any contrast. Lacking in definition. A lot of video noise and a poor quality transfer. Why did Tai Seng bother making it anamorphic?!
Sound: 5.1 Korean Track and 2.0 Cantonese/Mandarin. Saw it with Korean audio english subtitles. It is sufficient.

The film is not bad, it is fairly decent. I'm very curious to see the Korean extended cut of this film though.
Recommended for a lazy afternoon viewing, it doesn't have the thrills to make it an outstanding drama-mystery. However, it will still keep you on your seat, it is interesting enough(although a bit tepid) to keep your attention, possibly because of the cast's acting.
3 1/2 for the film, 2 stars for the TAI SENG DVD release.

If you are looking for Korean melodramas with a touch of the unusual, check out: A BUNGEE JUMPING OF THEIR OWN, HI DHARMA, SCARLET LETTER, LETTER FROM MARS. Of course, I recommend watching the original Asian releases."