Slate (Korea 2020) - Movie Review

I love watching Asian action films, and I was excited for this title after I watched the first trailer released in mid 2020.

Unlike the big bombastic Korean action hits of the last decade, this is a far more low-key independent feature with a strong, idealistic and charismatic lead character

She makes it fun, and she makes it entertaining. Two things I always look for in a movie

Hi I’m the Arty Dans welcome to this review of the Korean action film Slate

What’s this movie about?

Yeon-hee is desperate to be an action movie hero. When she finally gets her big break, albeit as a stunt double, she arrives on set only to be whisked away to a parallel world controlled by evil villain who controls the most powerful fighters and takes whatever he wants.

The lord of village mistakes her as the Soul Slayer, and realising this is her opportunity to finally be the hero, she takes on the role, fighting for the safety of the village and the villagers as the real Soul Slayer looks on perplexed by who she is.

My Thoughts on this Movie

Even though this is an independent film, this still carries the feeling of a huge Korean studio production. Like most Korean films, the production values are top notch. Solid acting and interesting characters populate small sets where an entertaining, but not original, story is told.

Something I really enjoy, regardless of genre or language, are movies that explore parallel worlds, especially where the main characters are thrust into an environment that is either completely foreign or very hostile, and they have to use their wits to survive.

Early on in the movie we are introduced to the confidence that Yeon-hee has in herself and her ability to be an action hero. While we never actually see her engaged in any combat, we are informed of her rather extensive fighting history during a conversation with the movie director who hires her for the stunt double role. I got this sense early on, combined with the opening scene in the orphanage, that she is someone who truly believes in herself. And they’re the best types of characters to watch. We know she’s on the side of good, when even though she doesn’t have enough money for herself, she pays for the dinner for two children at a food stall, much to the chagrin of her long-suffering roommate.

When she encounters the magic slate and is whisked away into the parallel world, there is an immediate sense of confusion. Everything looks like it should, but something is not quite right. There is a clue something is going on when she looks at her phone and how its misbehaving, but the lure of being the action hero is just too good for her to pass up.

Helping to build the parallel world are the characters who play along with the ride. They know her sword is fake, but they still take the hits. The real Soul Slayer can see everything unfolding, but stays hidden to watch. Essentially she is his stunt double, and while he dislikes that she’s using his reputation for her advantage, it’s a sly reference to what going on in her real life, and no doubt a wider reference to what happens in the movie industry as a whole.

In fact you could really look at this movie as a very very subtle type of satire of the types of people who think they don’t need to work hard at achieving their goals. That things should just be given to them without earning it. That their success, or perceived success, is just all in their head. At least, that’s an angle that I saw with this film.

But while the world building, characters, story and acting are all praiseworthy, the action is rather mediocre. The swordfights are short and very stilted, looking more like a budget movie action scene than a proper sword fight, and the ending adds confusion around the timeline of her disappearance in the real world. Seemingly she was gone for an hour or so, maybe less, whereas she definitely spent upwards of a week in the parallel world. I am also confused with the video clip of her fighting within the parallel world that’s then watched by people in the real world.

Overall

But really, I shouldn’t worry about things like that. They’re small inconsequential details that don’t detract from the overall fun time that will be had with this movie.

It’s a thumbs up for entertainment, especially if you’ve been exploring Korean cinema for a little while and are ready to watch films that push out of the studio boundaries, but still have a familiar feel to them.

If you’ve seen it, what did you think?