Run. You stop, you or someone you love dies.
The initial premise is familiar. An evil mastermind forces a reluctant hero to do his bidding in a mad race to rescue a loved one. That is just the setup, the beauty is all in the execution. Big Match is the essential Fantasia crowd pleaser. Iko Choi (Lee Jeong-jae) is an expelled soccer player turned MMA fighter, trained by his brother. Ace (Shin Ha-kyun) is the diabolical but amusing over-the-top villain who keeps putting him in a tight situation.
It all starts when Iko is held captive by the police as a suspect for murder, while his brother has disappeared. After the receives an audio device that enables him to hear instructions, the cell opens and the game begins… If Iko can get out of the police station! Director and screenwriter Choi Ho has prepared an obstacle race that will test Iko’s abilities to run, dodge and fight entire police squads and gangster gangs. Is is impossible? Can someone have the stamina to do that and still run at top speed? Does it really matter if you are entertained?
Highly recommended for a crowd of action enthusiasts. It’s not a martial arts movie per se, it’s more of a death race with just one person and the unconceivable stuff that can happen. Humor and action comedy at its Korean finest. Just what you needed to perk up your day.
That will do for now.
(Sources: Fantasia International Film Festival)
Never Think Impossible 