Description:
Once a successful comedy director, Shin Seung-soo's latest works haven't attracted audiences, often silently lurking at the bottom of the year's box office. His latest 'girls with guns' effort seems no different. It offers nothing we haven't seen before, and no bankable stars - at least not yet, both Lee Yo-won and Kim Min-sun could become stars in the future. But despite its derivative plot, A.F.R.I.K.A. is reasonably well made and a decent ride, if your expectations are set at the right level.
The cocktail of attractive young girls, loud rock music, a few action scenes, and the usual amount of silly comedy has made many f
Once a successful comedy director, Shin Seung-soo's latest works haven't attracted audiences, often silently lurking at the bottom of the year's box office. His latest 'girls with guns' effort seems no different. It offers nothing we haven't seen before, and no bankable stars - at least not yet, both Lee Yo-won and Kim Min-sun could become stars in the future. But despite its derivative plot, A.F.R.I.K.A. is reasonably well made and a decent ride, if your expectations are set at the right level.
The cocktail of attractive young girls, loud rock music, a few action scenes, and the usual amount of silly comedy has made many films a success, but it's probably what makes A.F.R.I.K.A. a rather forgettable affair. It tries so hard to be cool, slick and funny that it forgets to take care of the fundamentals, like a script that flows well, or engaging characters. The film follows the adventures of four girls, who meet by accident and become a runaway team of idols (the film's title means "Adoring Four Revolutionary Idols Korean Association", named after the girls' Internet Fan Club). Through robbing gas stations, stealing cars, dealing with the people following them -- a cop and a gangster, driving together! -- the four become popular. One of the film's good ideas is showcasing, with the use of pop culture references, how the girls achieve their fame. Thanks to TV and the Internet they become so famous that fake A.F.R.I.K.A. teams start to pop up.
The characters are little more than stereotypes. Rising star Lee Yo-won is the classic charismatic leader with an edge; Kim Min-sun the sexy, shallow 'babe' who raises a fuss over clothes and hair. Cho Eun-ji is the annoying, ugly duckling who we're supposed to care about, and Lee Young-jin the tough girl who often acts superior. The film does a good enough job of making this obvious, so that we take nothing seriously. But, that's a double edged sword, because at the end you don't really care about the characters. Better is the supporting cast who really carries the film. Lee Je-rak, Park Young-kyu and company frequently steal the show from the four girls, creating a few memorable moments. There are even references to recent popular comedies like Kick The Moon, Attack The Gas Station, and My Wife is a Gangster.
With all its flaws, A.F.R.I.K.A. still manages to be fun, in a rather mindless way. Not all the jokes work, sometimes the girls overact a little too much, but the overall tone of the film makes you forget about such things pretty quickly. If you're looking for a night of low-maintenance fun, without strings attached, you'll probably enjoy the antics showcased in A.F.R.I.K.A.
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Manufacturer: Shin Seung-Su Production
Release date: 11 November 2001
Number of discs: 1
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