A group of undercover cops take a different career route while on the job in this Korean action-comedy.
The police’s narcotics team have been working hard to capture a drug dealer named Mubae. When they find a lead, it leads to a chase the ends up in complete failure for the team. Team leader Captain Ko finds himself berated by his superior on a daily basis as his work which has seriously dropped. They are now at risk of being disbanded. However, upon learning from a fellow team leader that a major deal is about to go down, Ko leads his team to embark on the mission for redemption.
The team, to ensure that there is round-the-clock surveillance, hides out in a small fried chicken restaurant. They learn the owner of the place is planning to sell it as business has not been going well. The cops decide to buy the place only for their mission to continue. However, the group discovers that one of their own, Detective Ma, is an expert in cooking chicken. Soon enough, the cops decide to open the restaurant in the daytime and continue their mission at night. As business booms, the cops soon find themselves at a crossroads when a series of chaotic moments occur. They soon must decide what’s important: their day job of selling chicken or redeeming themselves as police officers.
From director Lee Byeong-Heon comes this funny action-comedy which melds elements of the Police Academy franchise with cooking films. The cast of cops of the film is a highlight as they have such different personalities that mesh well. Led by Ryu Seung-Yong’s Captain Ko, the cops are either tough, goofy, and both tough and goofy. As the only female member of the group, Lee Hanee’s Jang certainly proves herself to be the tough one as she exhibits a mood where she doesn’t take any lip from anyone.
Jin Sun-Kyu’s Ma is definitely a little tough but proves to be goofy when needed. This especially comes as he is the one whose chicken recipes turns their stakeout joint into the hottest restaurant in town. Lee Dong-Hwi is a veteran who more or less gives a few one liners with Gong Myoung playing the youngest member of the team whose impulses sometimes gets the better of him. The chemistry between this motley group of cops is reminiscent of what one may expect in a Police Academy movie, thus making it fun nonetheless.
As mentioned the film is an action-comedy and it all starts with a hilarious chase scene between a lead and the bumbling cops. From the lead attempting to hijack a car only to have the owner toss him out to Captain Ko using a scooter while others are running after the lead, this is just a taste of what to expect in the film in terms of meshing the action and comedy. There are beats of fight scenes, including one of the drug dealers forcing his underlings to beat each other up to Mubae’s female henchman doing some major butt-kicking against anyone who dares stand in her way. The final rumble scene brings Young and Dangerous to mind, with the cops mixing in the chaos, adding a taste of that comic flair that makes this film works.
Extreme Job is a fun meshing of action and comedy, with some great chemistry between the leads. A somewhat insane story works well here and the action scenes add a taste of that comic flair that makes this worth at least checking out one time.
WFG RATING: B
CJ Entertainment presents an About Film production in association with Haegrimm Pictures and CJ Entertainment. Director: Lee Byeong-Heon. Producers: Kim Seong-Hwan and Kim Kwon-Sik. Writers: Baw Se-Yeong and Lee Byeong-Heon. Cinematography: Noh Seung-Bo. Editing: Nam Na-Young.
Cast: Ryu Seung-Yong, Lee Hanee, Jin Sun-Kyu, Lee Dong-Hwi, Gong Myeong, Shin Ha-Kyun.
CJ Entertainment USA premieres the film at the CGV Cinemas in Los Angeles and Buena Park tonight, followed by a limited nationwide release on February 1st!
WorldFilmGeek 