‘Beasts Clawing At Straws’ (review)

Hugely entertaining, multi-storyline crime film in the tradition of Pulp Fiction and other films.

A Gucci bag filled with cash left in a locker is the impetus for a series of events leading to a satisfying, amusing denouement.

The film is separated into a series of chapters, each amusingly titled.

Not predictable at all, propulsive as all hell, Beasts is also brutal and uncompromising, not letting anyone off the hook yet also not letting everyone get the shaft.

There is a very fun thread involving a Columbo-esque cop who consistently needles one of the main characters.

Said cop is a riot and seemed to be driving the narrative in a definitive direction.

Alas, like much about Beasts, this thread goes into very surprising territories and adds to the pleasures of the film.

The screenplay is extremely well constructed, with terrific suspense and shocks throughout.

Beasts kinda feels like a lot of Tarantino wannbes from the 90s, but it so much better than most of them, that the film feels like a breath of fresh air.

It’s energetic, stylish, and so much fun.

So it feels churlish to mention that the score is a bit…..dull.

I just figured that with everything else on all cylinders the music would be more involved.

Instead, it’s pedestrian stuff, alas.

Still, not enough to detract a great deal from the entertainment on display here.

This is a real treat, with plentiful comic relief to complement the violence and brutality.

Beasts Clawing At Straws is now On Demand and Digital HD.

 * * * * *

Produced by Kim Ji-hoon
Written and Directed by Kim Yong-hoon
Starring Jeon Do-yeon, Jung Woo-sung, Bae Sung-woo , Yun Yuh-jung, Jung Man-sik,
Jin Gyeong, Shin Hyun-been, Kim Jun-han, Jung Ga-ram, Park Ji-hwan, Heo Dong-won