A TAXI DRIVER is an excellent depiction of a notorious event in South Korean history, namely the Gwangju massacre of 1980. What makes this production so special is the direction, which is exemplary, and the scripting, which brings to life realistic characters in a way that's really encouraging and true-to-life. Song Kang-ho is one of those stars who's never delivered a poor performance and this is the best I've seen him; he adopts a masterful, multi-layered and intensely likeable role of an impoverished taxi driver drawn into a bizarre and uniquely dangerous situation. Thomas Kretschmann is decent too, but make no mistake, this is Kang-ho's film and he's a marvel. The movie itself is lengthy and often slowly-paced, but it keeps you engaged just as much in the quieter and more reflective character scenes as well as through the drama and more explicit and horrific moments. It's just a great film all round.
A Taxi Driver
2017 [KOREAN]
Action / Drama / History
Plot summary
May, 1980. Man-seob is a taxi driver in Seoul who lives from hand to mouth, raising his young daughter alone. One day, he hears that there is a foreigner who will pay big money for a drive down to Gwangju city. Not knowing that he’s a German journalist with a hidden agenda, Man-seob takes the job.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
February 19, 2018 at 03:27 AM
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Top cast
Movie Reviews
A Korean classic
Extremely entertaining
This movie is a sharply directed moving and entertaining movie. A struggling In Seoul taxi driver takes a German reporter to Gwangju. The pro democracy riots and massacre unfold and you see things from his point of view. You really feel for the driver played by the great Korean actor from Parasite. The massacre scenes are quite moving and shocking.
By the end you will probably realise that some of the story regarding the escape is made up for dramatic purposes. But it doesn't matter. This is one movie where the dramatic licence is justified. It's a very entertaining touching and meaningful movie.
The Ethical Dictates of Taxi-Driving
Kang-ho Song is a widowed driver with a young daughter, just scraping by. When an opportunity comes up to drive a foreign reporter to a small city under martial law for 100,000 won, he takes it. On the way, he discovers that South Korea is a dictatorship that people are being killed for no good reason, and that ordinary people have standards of ethical behavior, even taxi drivers.
It's a beautifully made combination of staged and stock footage. Thomas Kretschmann, playing the German reporter, looks a lot like the man his character is based on, although handsomer in a Liam-Neeson way. The way it portrays ordinary people rising to the moment is well done. If, like many a South Korean movie I have seen, it seems more violent than other national cinemas, then perhaps that is a salient feature of the national industry.