Coming off as a Korean version of the "Fast and Furious" and "Baby Driver" films combined, "Seoul Vibe" doesn't really gel well into a great and memorable action film. With its long and convoluted narrative, extremely campy humor, and its less-than-spectacular visual effects, made this a very perplexing and even boring film experience. Critically, "Seoul Vibe" promised to have us vibing with its retro and funky soundtrack - which we actually found missing in action or too insignificant to be noticeable at all.
When Park Dong-wook (Yoo Ah-in), the leader of “Sanggye-dong Supreme Team”, returns to South Korea from Saudi Arabia, a public prosecutor instantly contacts him to give him an offer that he literally cannot refuse. He and his teammates must infiltrate an underground group and find critical evidence to bring these corrupt people for good. If he refuses the prosecutors offer, all of them will be charged with crimes that they have committed in the past and they will go to jail. If they accept, the charges will be dropped and all of them will be given visas to go to the United States of America.
At almost two and a half hours long, "Seoul Vibe" overstayed its welcome by a mile. Particularly, its first half was really slow and heavy-handed. We just couldn't jive with it that well as the Sanggye-dong Supreme Team worked they way up the ladder of a rich and powerful crime gang. But worst of all, even with its extremely long running time and all the slow banter between characters, there's a disconnect between the audience and the cast of characters within "Seoul Vibe". The film failed to make its characters relatable or memorable. At least in the "Fast and Furious" films, we get characters who we care about and have become icons of their own. In this film, we couldn't latch onto anyone including with its lead Park Dong-wook (played by Yoo Ah-in). Weirdly enough, the film heavily advertised its connection to music and the 1988 Seoul Olympics - both of these elements turning out to be very loose connections and insignificant at best. At least the film finds its footing in its last hour or so but it doesn't discount the fact that "Seoul Vibe" was full of promises that never really comes into fruition.
Seoul Vibe Movie Review: Offbeat Vibe
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