SPECIAL DELIVERY (특송) (2022)

Genre: Action/Crime
Director: Park Dae-Min
Cast: Park So-Dam, Song Sae-Byeok, Kim Eui-Sung, Jeong Hyun-Jun, Yeon Woo-Jin
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence & Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 13 January 2022

Synopsis: SPECIAL DELIVERY is a crime action film about the unexpected events that unfold when Eun Ha (Park So-Dam), a driver with a 100% success rate at delivering anything worth the money, puts a child in her car. 

Movie Review:

“Jesika, oedongttal (Jessica, only child), Illinoi, Sikago (Illinois, Chicago), Gwa seonbaeneun gimjinmo (Classmate: Kim Jin-mo), Euneun ne sachon (He’s your cousin)”

The above “Jessica jingle” is probably what Korean actress Park So Dam is known for after the memorable scene in Bong Joon Ho’s award winning Parasite (2019). The charismatic actress is back in this crime action movie which makes good use of her coolness to portray a driver with an attitude to boot.

Park plays Eun Ha, a junkyard employee who has the gift of couriering anything that your usual postage service provider won’t be able to deliver. That just means illegal goods with the participation of triads and gangs, and this usually involves large amounts of money which motivates Eu Ha to take on these dangerous missions.

When the movie begins, we are given a shot of adrenaline rush as Eun Ha zips through the streets in a fast car and her cargo. She gives the drivers from the Fast and Furious series for their money (before the franchise got ridiculous), and we are in awe when she steps out of the vehicle.

Things get messy when Eun Ha gets embroiled in a case involving a gambling syndicate, a corrupt cop and a cute kid (Jeong Hyun Jun, who also starred in Parasite). We are then treated to a 109 minute thrill ride with double crosses, car chases, bloody fights and quite a bit of emotional ups and downs.

Park succeeds at looking suave in her nonchalant expressions, while making viewers feel for the bond between her and the child she is obligated to protect. And with many other movies featuring kids, Jeong is an excellent child actor with fluffy hair and big eyes to make audiences fall in love with his character. When he breaks into tears after finding out that his father is murdered, you’d want to take care of him. When he asks Eun Ha about her boyfriend and wanting to protect her, you’d chuckle at how cheeky he is. The bond between the two characters works on screen and you’d root for them to survive the ordeal.

The movie plays out as an engaging crime drama, and you’d be brought along for the ride as new characters are introduced. There are supporting characters which provide light hearted moments (we especially like Eun Ha’s friends who work in the junkyard), and despicable antagonists who are up to no good. Coupled with the filmmakers’ ability to keep the pace up without any dreary moments.

It’s also commendable that the movie has a bit of everything – there are gags which will make you laugh, and there are sequences that will leave you gripping your seat. There are also scenes which tug at your heartstrings (yup, these feature Park and Jeong), and there are some violent instants which are rather bloody. This is a popcorn production that is easy to sit through, with the right amount of entertainment to keep the movie below two hours without feeling bloated.

Movie Rating:

(Join the charismatic Park So-Dam on this entertaining ride featuring corrupted cops, exhilarating action and engaging drama)

Review by John Li