TAZZA: THE SONG OF BEEZLEBUB Review: A Biblical Revenge Finale That Deals A Brutal Winning Hand
Tazza: The Song Of Beezlebub is now playing in theaters from Well Go USA.
I’m only familiar with the Tazza franchise as far as the 2019 installment. Thankfully, the latest finale, Tazza: The Song Of Beezlebub, stipulates a more standalone tale for this analysis, although I reckon anyone who has kept up with the IP between the films and the comics on which they’re based will otherwise feel rewarded by what director Choi Kook-hee brings to the table.
Actors Byun Yo-han and Roh Jae-won lead the incumbent story, referencing flashbacks to culminate an epic revenge tale of Biblical proportions. Classmates Jang (Byun) and Park (Roh) share a friendship that dates back to their school days, with the colloquial privilege of addressing each other with half of their given names tied to their surnames seeing as they’re both named Tae-young.
They’re also poker talents, compelling them to create their own gambling business to massive success, and business prospects that extend throughout Asia. This sets up the ominous outlook of the shared brotherhood between Jangtae and Parktae, as the story chronicles their downfall into bitter rivalry when Jangtae is summoned to Vietnam, only to be betrayed, left stranded with no money or help in sight, and fighting for his life.
As it stands though, Jangtae’s quirk at luck is his only modifier for survival. His odds soon bring him to a local underworld poker legend named Kwak (Jo Woo-jin) who reluctantly takes him in as a mentee, and whose past dealings with the yakuza may soon bring Jangtae’s quest for vengeance full circle.
Just to point out: I kind of like how the removal of the second syllable plays into the overall timeline regarding the boyhood-to-manhood outline, as Tazza: The Song Of Beezlebub weaves layers of trauma into the growth of these characters; The film does a fantastic job with de-aging aspects to showcase past events to help weave the story together, which is usually a challenge considering films like A Legend tend to execute this method so haphazardly, whereas there’s a level of practicality that makes it more palatable to the eye.
Anyway, Tazza: The Song Of Beezlebub isn’t exactly a one-trick pony. Kim Se-young’s script leaves plenty of moving pieces in play throughout the film’s 2+ hour runtime, setting the stage for multiple characters with their own scores to settle. This is where Choi’s yakuza subplot comes in handy with the addition of actors Tsuyoshi Ihara and actress Ayaka Miyoshi, who play the arbiters of a potential investment that could benefit Parktae’s latest business endeavor after two years.
Needless to say, Tazza: The Song Of Beezlebub has plenty of poker scenes and gameplay to outline our characters. Fans of gambling and card game flicks will get a kick out of how it applies to our characters, while Choi brilliantly carves out a different game in the film’s backdrop delivering a solid comclusion.
Byun and Roh’s performances are excellent in accordance with a screenplay by the aforementioned Kim who delights viewers in audible and visual resonance to the Biblical tone and gravity between both characters. This aspect of the film comes tied to Parktae’s own tortured past which serves as an underlying starting point for Parktae’s true sinistral origins, even as one could argue that Jangtae could have seen it coming. Alas, he doesn’t, which makes the severity of Parktae’s treachery all the more damning.
Choi also assures audiences that the brutality matches these aesthetics all the same. Rest assured while the action and violence doesn’t necessarily push the envelope much, there’s enough of the red stuff to leave an impact at times. Heads are bashed in, bullets fly, bodies are left bloodied, and one poor soul is left to sit in his own excrement by the end, and indeed there’s just enough intimate nudity to whet the appetite for some skin for mature audiences.
Co-star Jo does well to showcase his take on the rugged, eccentric cardshark in exile living with his own torment and just getting by under the radar. I especially love the way Ihara and Miyoshi are written as you get to learn what their angles are, and how Kim uses their motivations to drive a little more mystery into the story.
Contextually, the Biblical references Tazza: The Song Of Beezlebub add some punch to the overall story in ways that take a page or two right out of Alexandre Dumas’s work, or even films like The Italian Job, The Crow or Gladiator or Marvel’s Black Panther. Either way, Choi invites you to a good old-fashioned revenge tale that replaces angels and devils with high rollers, and lowballers all in it to win it no matter the odds.
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!
