WATCH NOW
I have a K-Drama that belongs in the thriller genre, and its alternative title is ‘Don’t Buy the Seller’ which honestly makes no sense. I would rather have it titled ‘Caveat Emptor’ as it sounds much more elegant. Either way, the film does for online selling what Jaws did for swimming: it terrifies you.
Soo-hyun, played by Shin Hye-sun, is an interior designer who gets a new flat. Upon moving, her washing machine decides to break down and is also way too expensive to fix. Sob Hyun checks sales apps on the recommendation of her friend Dal Ja, Lee Joo-young, and finds a new machine. But the machine is broken and after dong some research on the seller, she is nowhere to be found.
Sooh Hyun goes to the police but does not get any help from them. She decides to take matters into her own hands and uses a different app to track the seller down. Yes, it does work but she also posts a warning online, claiming other buyers should not be fooled. Afterwards, soot’s life turns into a living hell when the seller warns her.
Not too long ago, I watched another Korean movie on internet crime, Citizen Of A Kind, and it was based on a voice phishing narrative. Target is a movie released in the previous year and I really wish it isn’t based on actual events. At the very least, I want to believe it is purely fictional like opposition will either way put blame on writer-director Park Hee-Kon because it is highly likely they do have past experiences with the widespread issue of online scammers.
Just like me, I can imagine eBay users choosing to ignore sellers who seem to have a particularly nasty track record, even if it is just 1%-2% of their total feedback score. In this movie, there seems to be an absence of a similar system on the apps used that serves to rate sellers aside from the comments section, but those can easily be manipulated as well.
In the world I Live in, we see in the beginning how a young man selling a laptop (Noh Young-hak) on the streets has a condition whereby only women can buy his laptop. When a woman shows up, he is heartbroken to see that it is only her brother who accompanies her. Clearly, there is some sense into the fact that the camera does not show this particular individual, but the events that ensue provide a clever trick in order to get the audience hooked on the thrill of deception.
It is curious to note that this seller goes after single young women but more as a means to assert himself rather than in any romantic fashion. At least in the initial stages, this is a description that does not apply to Soo-hyun, as this image in which she is previously cast is quite the tough cookie, except for the moments leaning against her boss Director Kim (Lim Chul-Soo), who is clearly conflicted on whether to genuinely like her or is simply too daft to act on it.
Somewhat typical for a K-thriller, the police are at first uninvolved with Soo-hyun’s case on account of other more pressing cases that take precedence. In a bit of a twist, the younger detective Na Seung-hyun (Kang Tae-oh) is not the one who takes interest in Soo-hyun’s case, but his superior Joo Cheol-ho (Kim Sung-kyun), effectively disposing of romantic frisson tropes, but it does leave unexplained Joo’s sudden shift of preference.
Unlike other victims, at least Soo-hyun has someone on her side, it is unfortunate it takes forms of harassment such as mass ordering take away meals to her residential address or posting fake advertisement services online that just buzz her phone. Not long after it is literal stalking her at night, and during the day breaks into her house, before getting truly sick by sending her mother impersonating text messages.
Finally, it comes down to blackmail in order to put an end to it – 5 million won or Soo-hyun will get bullied to the very edge of her sanity, which isn’t too far from here anyway. In any case, she remains strong which proves to be extremely expensive although Joo has already unearthed previous bodies of a student with the same psychological scars and the recent murder serves as a catalyst for the authorities to treat the case with utmost priority.
One could use unspeakably tense to describe the film set and one could also say that there has been a consistent pattern with this kind of film. A unfortunate choice such as this is also present in this one. From time to time, there is a wish to shout to Soo-hyun stop what she is doing which, thank God, she isn’t as willfully stupid as other actresses in similar circumstances; in contrast, the police do allow too much to fall into their hands which is Park’s method of beseeching them to grapple with cyber crimes more seriously.
As per his traditional misconception, as Soo-hyun provokes him, the scammer gets more sick which leads to violence. Suffering is depicted on a different level in this film which makes it stand out from the rest. It still has its limitations, however, it is not as brutalized as others. Park has not directed any horror films as yet, but if he decides to do so, he will be able to do a spectacular job because of the impressive level of suspense he incorporates in his work. This was noticeable when he had Soo-Hyun battle against a faceless dreadful nightmare lurking around her apartment.
Park would also benefit from placing Shin Hye-sun in that horror movie since the way she assaulted Soo-hyun’s rapid evolution from a self-sufficient woman into a fragile shell is truly believable. Instead of focusing on the hysteria which is unnecessary, she emphasizes the frustration, portraying a physically and mentally abused character that chooses to fight back, depicting a strong contrast from the useless victim pleading for rescue.
Slowly escalating into a beautifully rosy climax, Target’s attempt at confronting the dire issues of cyber stalking alongside internet scamming is indeed unique. Although, not everyone selling products has ill intentions, at the same time, one must remain a bit cautious with an online stranger. It is tough to predict the identity of an unseen person on the other side of the screen.
To watch more movies like ( Target (2004)) visit 123Movies.
Also Watch for more movies like:
