- #TAZZA THE HIGH ROLLERS 2006 MOVIE#
- #TAZZA THE HIGH ROLLERS 2006 FULL#
- #TAZZA THE HIGH ROLLERS 2006 SERIES#
I believe it is largely due to Kim Hye-soo's presence that the climactic confrontation among the main characters has an unexpected emotional resonance: I wonder if even Heo Young-man - author of the original comic on which this film is based - could have captured as well in his drawings the look of panic, guilt and strategic calculation frenzy-spinning inside Madame Jeong's brain.Īlthough Tazza does not quite reach the heights, or depths, of noir masterpieces like The Grifters (despite a shot clearly meant to evoke it), there is no contesting that it is a superb piece of entertainment. Throwing predatory little-girl smiles at her potential victims, Madame Jeong plays everyone for a sucker and derives almost childlike delight from ensnaring dumb macho men in her web of deceit. Kim is a confident actress, comfortable with her star status (and her body) and feeling no need to suck up to the camera because she already knows it loves her. While Go-nee drinks heavily, determined to throw away his life. Yet, if The Big Swindle was mainly a Baek Yoon-shik show, Tazza belongs to Kim Hye-soo as the candy-lipped femme fatale. Go-nee has lost his entire savings, saved over a period of 5 years, at a gambling joint. Tazza: The High Rollers (Korean Movie, 2006, ) - Find the cast, latest updates, latest news, legal streaming links, DVDs, Blu-rays, collectibles, latest. And of course Baek Yoon-shik is on hand to present us with another virtuoso performance, this time infusing his old shyster with an almost Taoist sense of mock serenity (a hint of self-delusion is there, as well). That one needed some check-back with an "expert."Īs for the cast, Cho Seung-woo is adequate for the protagonist and Yoo Hae-jin successfully brings pathos and sympathy out of an essentially comic relief character. maybe except for the last card trick Goni attempts on his arch-nemesis Agwee (an excellent psycho-sleazeball portrayal by Kim Yoon-seok).
It's not like you have to know Texas hold'em poker to be gripped by Casino Royale, either.
#TAZZA THE HIGH ROLLERS 2006 FULL#
A Kim Ki-duk Angstfest this is not.įirst of all, let me reassure you that being completely ignorant of the rules of Korean hwatoo games (originating from the Japanese hanafuda, small plastic cards with gaudily colorful designs of flowers and plants) such as "Go-Stop" and "Seodda" is in no way detrimental to full enjoyment of this movie.
#TAZZA THE HIGH ROLLERS 2006 MOVIE#
It is one of those Korean films beloved by domestic viewers (it sold more than 6.8 million tickets, making it the second most commercially successful movie of 2006, after The Host) but never properly appreciated by non-Korean critics, not least because it delivers like gangbusters on the score of cinematic entertainment, spiced just right for the local taste. Tazza, written and directed by Choi Dong-hoon, is, like his feature film debut Big Swindle, a fast-paced crime thriller, buttressed by a fantastic cast and a complex but never confusing plot. Initially only looking for a way to recoup his sister's money that he wasted on the table, Goni is gradually drawn into the world of illegal gambling, especially when the sultry Madame Jeong (Kim Hye-soo) sets her eyes on him. We then move several years back in time, and see how Goni became a card-shark under the tutelage of "Commissioner" Pyung (the incomparable Baek Yoon-shik). It's safe to say that TAJJA will inspire many more gambling features, though it would be hard to surpass the originality and style of this film.Professional gambler Goni (means "swan" in vernacular Korean), played by Cho Seung-woo, partnered with the fast-talking Gwang-ryul (character actor Yu Hae-jin), cleans up at an illegal hwatoo game and runs off with bags of money from a gangster. The energy of the narrative is matched by the plot's daunting complexity, but the film journeys into surprising areas. The narrative almost manages to support a love story, though there's no room in a gambler's heart for true love.
#TAZZA THE HIGH ROLLERS 2006 SERIES#
The narrative is set out in a series of "lessons" any prospective gambler must learn with each lesson, the risks become increasingly challenging. As such, this often feels like THE STING, but with a more brutal core. Most intriguing of all is the Korean card game that frames the action - a game that attracts die-hard gamblers and a small group of cheats who live off the system.
TAJJA has style to burn, and from the very start, there's flashbacks, split-screens, hyperbolic action, and the expected doses of melodrama in the story of a young gambler's rise to fame. Hong Kong gambling flicks go in and out of fashion, but the genre is relatively new in South Korean cinema, and TAJJA can be extraordinarily entertaining.
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