I'm still replaying this film in my head, and in doing so, finding little things that I missed. Much like "The Usual Suspects," this one throws you for a loop.
However, the great revelations in "Jakarta" don't come in one momentous moment such as the above mentioned "Suspects," or "The Crying Game" but rather, the intricacies of the plot unveil themselves throughout the second half of the film. It's kinda like the Christopher Nolan's "Memento" in that matter.
In terms of plot, saying even a little would give away too much. However, what seems like a simple scenario of bad timing on account of three different groups of thieves turns out to be much more complicated, and much more intricate then what's on the surface.
That being said, this film plays out almost like a Korean "Reservoir Dogs" meets "Memento." You have suggested torture scenes, a warehouse where the thieves take their victims, as well as the inter-quarreling amongst them. However, while "Reservoir Dogs" only mentioned and hinted at what really happened at the bank heist, you do get to see the whole thing done in its glory in "Jakarta." All of this isn't done in great seriousness however, and the film is very funny, finding some very darkly humorous moments.
There are some flaws to be mentioned; the DVD that I watched it on had horrendous subtitling. Being able to understand enough Korean, I wasn't too happy with some of the translations, and was surprised to find that some dialogues of speech weren't even translated into subtitles. I guess whoever was doing the subtitling got a bit lazy.
Likewise, while I really liked how deceptive this movie was, it did get a bit confusing in the end, and my friend whom I saw this with was even more confused, as he had only the subtitling to work off of. This is definitely a film that requires a second viewing, and honestly, I don't mind whatsoever.
However, the great revelations in "Jakarta" don't come in one momentous moment such as the above mentioned "Suspects," or "The Crying Game" but rather, the intricacies of the plot unveil themselves throughout the second half of the film. It's kinda like the Christopher Nolan's "Memento" in that matter.
In terms of plot, saying even a little would give away too much. However, what seems like a simple scenario of bad timing on account of three different groups of thieves turns out to be much more complicated, and much more intricate then what's on the surface.
That being said, this film plays out almost like a Korean "Reservoir Dogs" meets "Memento." You have suggested torture scenes, a warehouse where the thieves take their victims, as well as the inter-quarreling amongst them. However, while "Reservoir Dogs" only mentioned and hinted at what really happened at the bank heist, you do get to see the whole thing done in its glory in "Jakarta." All of this isn't done in great seriousness however, and the film is very funny, finding some very darkly humorous moments.
There are some flaws to be mentioned; the DVD that I watched it on had horrendous subtitling. Being able to understand enough Korean, I wasn't too happy with some of the translations, and was surprised to find that some dialogues of speech weren't even translated into subtitles. I guess whoever was doing the subtitling got a bit lazy.
Likewise, while I really liked how deceptive this movie was, it did get a bit confusing in the end, and my friend whom I saw this with was even more confused, as he had only the subtitling to work off of. This is definitely a film that requires a second viewing, and honestly, I don't mind whatsoever.