Spoilers are going out for fried chicken later.
If you want to make a group of rugged cops endearing, the recipe is easy. Throw them into a desperate situation, when they’re all down on their luck and have only one chance to make it right. That last chance will require them to work on a common job completely unrelated to their profession, a task they will perform poorly at first but excel at with time. They will gain pride in what they do and get their self-confidence back. Stir well and let it simmer.
Extreme Job is directed by Lee Byeong-heon and written by Bae Se-young. A narcotics squad keeps screwing up on the job. After being told off too many times, they get a tip to where a major drug operation is going to happen. In order to do proper surveillance, they take over the dying fried chicken restaurant across the street. When customers keep showing up, they realize they need a cover before the mob guys wise up. Using a recipe meant for ribs, they start selling fried chicken. The problem is, it works too well.
Korean cinema has mastered the craft of the action-comedy filmmaking. This film knows very well that they need five distinct personalities to do the job but in order to make them likeable the shortest route is to create a family dynamic. The movie achieves a careful balance between going over-the-top when needed and subtle when trying to be serious. The action comes late, but late is good in this case. To be honest, the movie could have kept itself to a comedy and I would’ve been happy. The action is always welcome just to wrap things up.
Recommended for action comedy fans. It is a solid comedy with good performances by the cast and great timing. The action shows up in the third act and perhaps could’ve been sprinkled more evenly, but it worked nevertheless. Most audiences will love it. Definitely watch it with friends and don’t be surprised if you end up with a hunger for fried chicken right after. Whoever doesn’t laugh pays the check.
That will do for now.
Never Think Impossible 