Dirty Money (2024)

A decent movie.

Dirty Money is a medium-paced crime movie with a predictable plot twist for a reason. It's no bullshit and somewhat meant to be thought-provoking. Is it okay to steal corrupted money for good reasons? This polarising question will ensue debates, but for Myungdeuk and Donghyuk, dirty money is dirty money.

The movie has an interesting premise with a good execution. The storyline is simple and easy to follow, and the plot progression is well-written. It's climatic and has a conclusive ending that made me slightly emotional. It's narrated in a way that makes us want to empathise with the main characters, and that's what I felt towards the end. It has decent camerawork and cinematography, and the cast did well. There was enough suspense, making the thriller effective. The whole time, I was scared that Myungdeuk and Donghyuk would get caught.

Unfortunately, I lost my interest halfway through because of a pacing issue. Sometimes it's slow, and sometimes it's fast, thus why I categorised this as a medium-paced movie. This inconsistency sometimes bore me and made me lose my focus. Therefore, this movie isn't engaging enough. Also, the movie could've gone further with the bloody scenes. Aside from shooting scenes, they didn't show us the scenes of captives getting killed. Such as when Mr Shin was killed. I understand if they want to keep the gore mild, but the sound effects were vivid. So they have nothing to lose if they show us the slashing and beheading scenes.

I recommend Dirty Money to people looking for a filler crime movie. It's not the most thrilling action movie, but it's decent and good enough to be watched.

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Money has Toll

The synopsis reveals quite a lot about the plot, perhaps even too much. We have two detectives who, in addition to their police work, earn extra money through a deal with local criminals. However, I watched the film without knowing anything about the plot, and I believe that's the best way to approach it because every detail gradually increases the intrigue and tension. This is an action film, but it contains plenty of drama and thriller elements, and at times even a touch of horror. I can't say the plot is entirely original, as there are many films with similar stories, but this one stands out by successfully bringing the main characters closer to the audience, making us empathize with them. The producers clearly put in a lot of effort to make the film visually impressive, with some shots resembling artistic scenes.

There's a saying that money is a necessary evil. We all need it, but dishonest and dirty money never brings blessings. I think a biblical quote fits this film well: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:10).

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