Streaming Sleepers: In BEASTS CLAWING AT STRAWS, No Money, Problems. More Money, Murder, More Murder, Problems.
Every now and then I remember a title that I reviewed is released for wider consumption. This is one of them.
beasts clawing at straws
BEASTS CLAWING AT STRAWS: Artsploitation Digs Its Claws In December For Kim Yong-Hoon’s Crime Thriller
Kim Yong-hoon’s cerebral and brilliant crime drama, Beasts Clawing At Straws, was definitely one of the finer viewings during its festival run. Artsploitation snagged the film stateside for a limited theatrical release back in October and is now rolling out the pic on VOD beginning December 15. A Louis Vuitton bag stuffed full of cash sends a group of hard-luck lowlifes on a desperate chase for fortune in this pitch-black neo-noir crime thriller. Fish-mongering gangsters, a greasy cop, an “innocent” gym cleaner, a scheming prostitute, her wife beater of a husband, her ruthless boss and her clueless boyfriend all violently plot to get their hands on the elusive bag. First time director Kim Yong-hoon’s witty thriller is a beautifully constructed puzzle that with each double-cross, the pieces fall into place. Beasts Clawing At Straws is based on Keisuke Sone’s 2011 novel and stars Jeon Do-yeon, Jung Woo-sung, Bae Sung-woo, Yun […]
BEASTS CLAWING AT STRAWS: Kim Yong-Hoon’s Korean Heist Pic Now Playing In Select Theaters
Writer and director Kim Yong-hoon’s adapation of Keisuke Sone’s 2011 novel was a fine feat at the festivals with heist thriller, Beasts Clawing At Straws. The film is now playing at select cities and theaters in the U.S., and the studio has also provided a current listing as well. A wild crime thriller about a bag of money left in a sauna and the eight strangers who, spurred by blinding greed, become intricately and dangerously involved with each. A fast-paced Coen-meets-The Grifters tale. A Luis Vuitton bag stuffed full of cash sends a group of hard-luck lowlifes on a desperate chase for the fortune in this pitch-black neo-noir crime thriller. Fish-mongering gangsters, a greasy cop, an “innocent” gym cleaner, a prostitute, her wife beater of a husband, her ruthless boss and her clueless boyfriend all violently scheme to get their hands on elusive the bag. First time director Kim Yong-hoon’s […]
NYAFF XIX Review: In BEASTS CLAWING AT STRAWS, No Money, Problems. More Money, Murder, More Murder… More Problems.
Adapting author Keisuke Sone’s 2011 novel for the big screen, writer/director Kim Young-hoon’s Beasts Clawing At Straws weaves a chilling, oftentimes clever tale about greed and desperation. The story is told in pulp format with five chapters to its body until the remaining twenty minutes when things catch up, firstly introducing Joong-man (Bae Sung-woo), a sauna worker who stumbles upon a Louis Vuitton bag left by a patron in one of the lockers. Time passes by and the bag is never picked up, so Joong-man opens what turns out to be a bag full of cash, then deciding to hide it in storage until he figures out what to do with it, or someone comes asking about it. Another sequence of events introduces Tae-young (Jung Woo-sung), a Port Officer who owes a great deal of money to a loan shark named Doo-Man (Jeong Man-sik) whose right-hand man, Meki (Bae Jin-Woong), […]
BEASTS CLAWING AT STRAWS Trailer Teases An Overture Of Greed And Violence
Kim Yong-hoon’s feature directorial debut has begun campaigning with Beasts Clawing At Straws. M-Line Distribution acquired international rights in February with Megabox Plus M will is opening the film in February. Based on Keisuke Sone’s 2011 Kodansha novel publication, the film is described as a multi-strand, dog-eat-dog tale of greed, gluttony, lust and murder that culminates around the money bag: A failed restauranteur-turned-bathhouse worker caring for his Alzheimers-ridden mother until he discovers a cash sack in a locker; a customs officer deep in debt to a loanshark when his girlfriend steals the money and disappears; a bar hostess who offers her young lover a large sum of cash to kill her abusive husband. The film is headline by Cannes darling, acclaimed actress Jeon Do-yeon, and Korean A-lister Jung Woo-sung, and also features actors Bae Sung-woo and Jung Ga-ram, and actresses Youn Yuh-jung and Shin Hyun-bin.
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