“The Childe” is a 2023 Korean film, categorized as Neo-Noir Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense. An alternate title is The Childe – Chase of Madness.
♦ A Kopino Has a Right to Life Too!
In “The Childe”, Marco Han is a Kopino. That means one of his parents is Korean and the other is Filipino. In Marco’s case, his father is Korean and his mother is Filipino. He would love to be a boxer. That’s one of his dreams. However, the only opportunity he got to fight was presented to him by gangsters operating an illegal gambling ring. Nevertheless, he does the work because his mother is very ill and needs surgery. He has to make money somehow.
Marco got involved with some bad guys who wanted to rob a jewelry store. His job was to distract the guards while they made off with the jewels. They promised that later on they would pay him a share for doing his part. But they betrayed him and before he knew it, he had a gang of bad guys chasing after him. He ran into the street and got hit by a car. Yoon-Joo, the woman driving the car took him to the hospital, apologized, paid the hospital bill and also paid him some money to settle the matter. She also provided her contact info if he ever needed to get in touch. Marco returned home.
Marco has been searching for his father. That’s another dream. He believes if he finds him, his father will help pay for his mother’s medical treatment. One day, it was like his dream came true. Instead of Marco finding his father, someone who worked for his father found him. When they approached him, not only did they arrange for him to be taken to Korea to meet his father, but they also promised to care of his mother and get her much-needed medical treatment. Marco believed everything they told him and willingly followed them.
On the plane to Korea, Marco crossed paths with Gwi Gong-ja (aka “Nobleman”) who told him that he was being transported to Korea TO DIE!! Marco wrote him off as a nut, a jerk, a ____ … he wasn’t sure what the guy’s agenda was. Marco did not know who he was, where he came from, what he did for a living, and why he approached him on the plane. But he didn’t think he was going to cross paths with Gwi Gong-ja again. But he told Gong-ja to leave him alone and thought that was the end.
He was wrong! Later on, Marco finds out that he was caught in the crossfire between his jealous and covetous siblings, i.e. his father’s legitimate children, and Gwi Gong-ja, a professional killer. Are both of them trying to kill him? His siblings want him out of the picture because his father is rich and they don’t want to share the wealth. But why is Gwi Gong-ja after him?
Main Characters:
- Gwi Gong-ja (played by Kim Seon-ho, “100 Days My Prince”, “Start-Up”
- Marco Han (played by Kang Tae-Ju, “Missing: The Other Side”)
- Yoon-Joo (played by Go Ara, “Haechi”, “The Magician”)
Viewership and Rating:
- IMDb: 6.8 out of 10 stars
- My Drama List: 8.4 out of 10 stars
- Viki viewers rated this film 9.6 out of 10 stars
My personal rating is 8 out of 10 stars.
This is Kim Seon-ho’s first major role after a scandal that broke in 2021. That tells me how much I don’t keep up with entertainment gossip and reports. I didn’t know he was involved in a scandal. Anyway! I’m glad he’s back, although, in my opinion, this movie was not his best work. Hopefully, he will have more acting opportunities now that the scandal seems to have blown over.
“The Childe” movie did not make it to my rewatch list. Yes, bad guys are not known for having “flowery tongues”. But the profanity in the dialogue was useless. Can’t modern scriptwriters be a little bit more witty and creative when characters hurl insults or respond angrily? Shakespeare did it!
The runtime for the movie is 118 minutes so I don’t want to say much more for fear I will give away the ending. But watching this movie left me with these thoughts: If your parent abandoned you … let it go. You’ve got your life to live, so live it! Sometimes it’s better not to look for your family.
LINKS OF INTEREST:
‘Succession’ meets Tarantino in thrilling Korean film ‘The Childe’ | Houston Chronicle
‘The Childe’ signals Kim Seon-ho’s return to golden age | The Korea Herald
The Childe Movie Review: A solid cast in an intriguing plot | Times of India
TRAILERS/TEASERS:
CreaZion Studios. “Kim Seon Ho the Childe – Official Philippine Trailer.” YouTube Video. YouTube, June 3, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBFS7qTzpRA.
5 replies
Loading new replies...
Echoes of the Crystals
Member
This is your end spammer
Aspiring Smilemaker
New Member
Join the full discussion at the PopGeeks.com Forum | Indie Games, Movies, TV & Comics →