Joo Won Stars in Streamer’s New Action Show
Per
August 5, 2022, 9:30 am EDT
Netflix has released many flashy, action-packed episodic series this year, including All of Us Are Dead and Money Heist: Korea. But his next big action is a movie, Carter, starring Joo Won in the lead role. Joo Won’s usually well-crafted heartthrob image undergoes a surprising transformation here into the beefy, ruffian Carter (the namesake of the film’s title). Carter is directed by Jung Byung-gil, who has made his career out of his high-octane, stylized action direction in films like The Villainess (2017) and Confession of Murder (2012).
Viewers looking for a solid action movie will find plenty of thrills in the elegantly edited and captivating Carter, where his action sequences are all intertwined to give the film a “one-shot” effect. There are stunning aerial views of rooftop brawls and waterfall escapes, alongside hair-raising chases through dimly lit cavernous rooms – with the increasingly familiar backdrop of tension between North and South Korea. What Carter sets out to accomplish in action, choreography, and set design, he comes out with great ease.
However, those looking for a more character-driven story or who have a lower tolerance for long, elaborate action sequences might find Carter’s 132-minute runtime a bit much.
Carter begins with a heavy exposition introduction, noting that the Korean peninsula is facing a terrible infectious outbreak of the “DMZ virus”. Viral infection creates “animal-like behaviors” and increases violent tendencies in those infected. Leaders from North and South Korea are working together to create an antibody treatment using the blood of Dr. Jung’s daughter, named Ha-na, who was cured of the DMZ virus infection through her father’s research. However, Doctor Jung (Jung Jae-young) and Ha-na (Kim Bo-min) go missing during a transfer deal to North Korea, where the doctor was supposed to continue his research and mass-produce a cure for the virus. at the hospital. Sinuiju Chemical Weapons Institute. There, crowds of infected North Korean patients are also quarantined. Meanwhile, Carter wakes up to find a mysterious voice giving him instructions through an earpiece. He has no choice but to proceed with the mission as he has a lethal bomb built into his mouth.
