Directed by: Kwak Jae-yong (곽재용) Starring: Jun Ji-hyun (전지현), Jang Hyuk (장혁) Release Date: June 3rd, 2004
After the back to back successes with two of the all time great romance films, My Sassy Girl (2001) and The Classic (2003), writer/director Kwak Jae-yong had fans hardly able to contain their excitement and anticipation for his newest romantic drama film Windstruck (or the Korean title “Allow me to Introduce My Girlfriend”) after the trailer dropped. Those days, because of films like My Sassy Girl – The Classic – My Tutor Friend – Mr. Hong, Mr. Handy – you name it, the Korean rom-com was my favorite movie genre hands down. And with Jun Ji-hyeon set to return, Windstruck looked as if it were going to be the best movie ever.
As it turned out, the third time wasn’t the charm, and Windstruck left me disappointed. Now, revisiting it after all these years, I’ve come to not only try and understand where that disappointment came from, but also find myself appreciating Windstruck much more for its bold approach to create something entirely new. The end result resembles something like a tragic-romance drama film infused with elements of fantasy and comedy, and although somewhat clunky it shines as a bright example of the fun and creativity that went into film productions during the early days of new Korean cinema.
Standing upon the ledge of a skyscraper’s rooftop, a woman closes her eyes and embraces the wind just before jumping into a free fall. Just then, a man’s voice begins to introduce the falling woman as his very special girlfriend Kyung-jin (Jeon Ji-hyeon), and after hinting at an ominous fate, decides to describe the very peculiar story of how the couple first met. While chasing a purse snatcher, Myeong-woo (Jang Hyuck) is tackled by the off duty police officer Kyung-jin in a crowded shopping district after mistaking him for the thief. Some time later, Myeong-woo attends a volunteer patrol assignment and reunites with Kyung-jin when she’s assigned as his partner. After a wild night of cops and robbers, the two begin dating. But their relationship is cut short when an unexpected tragedy occurs.
Windstruck in many ways is described as the spiritual sequel (or prequel) to Kwak’s earlier film My Sassy Girl (2001). Not only does it feature similar top level melodrama and comedy, it comes packaged with similar occasional mid 60’s American rock songs that work so well (ex. My Girl, Bule Bule), and has one of the very best instrumental original soundtracks off all time. But most importantly, actress Jun Ji-hyeon (The Thieves, Assassination) in the role of Kyung-jin is virtually a carbon copy of her character in My Sassy Girl.
We might ask ourselves, “Why don’t just watch ‘My Sassy Girl’ again if its that good and Jun Ji-hyun is the same character?” Well, one answer is that in Windstruck we get to see this awesome character in FULL SASS mode as a police officer shooting up bad guys as she drags around her bumbling cute boyfriend! But the bad part is, the action scenes do not fit well with the melodrama and comedy, which gives Windstruck its biggest balancing problems. On one end the film does some things so very very right, while others are baffling wrong.
First of all, Windstruck is much more slapstick with its comedy and it has good punch lines. It’s tons of fun watching the beautiful and sassy Kyung-jin beating up a group of young punks, chasing drug dealers, or explaining the origins of the pinky-promise through an elaborate fairy tale where she plays the part of the princess. But whether it was that extra judo throw during a street brawl or bullet dodged in one of the warehouse shootouts, it often feels like one too many and the gags get tiresome.
The melodrama in Windstruck is top shelf though. Writer director Kwak Jae-yong (My Sassy Girl, The Classic) brings the magic yet again and creates some of the best on-screen melodrama out there. He does however, start to mimic his previous films in Windstruck with scenes featuring the lead characters quietly walking the streets as they steal sweet glances of each other or dancing in the rain. But this is more of a director’s signature at this point and I’m all for it because it works so well. Kwak has a way of shooting a scene that unexpectedly stirs up emotions within you even if its undeserving or had a less than stellar build up. He’s that good. But Windstruck also plays somewhat like a highlight reel of great TV commercials that have a hard time coming together as a cohesive whole.
Windstruck can be disappointing because it takes too much comfort in repeating the successes of My Sassy Girl and The Classic rather than doubling down on what actually sets Windstruck apart from them. I applaud Kwak’s desire to mix action with melodrama for the unique experience it creates, but he doesn’t manage to stick the landing in this balancing act. The film’s central themes of saying goodbye and finding a way to regain one’s footing in life after tragedy strikes are so powerful that I can’t help but feel that doing away with more of the slapstick comedy or brutal action shootouts would have made for a superior film. Instead, following through with more of the emerging fantastic elements could have been just what Windstruck needed to achieve the legendary status that Kwak’s previous films enjoy.
Looking back on Windstruck, I think the epic expectations that came with its release were a bit unrealistic. I’ve come to appreciate what Windstuck does well more than I dislike it for its faults. It’s absolutely a must watch for fans of romantic comedy and melodrama and one of my top picks for Korean films that could make a huge resurgence if given a proper remastering and future blu-ray release (with the inclusion of its OST of course).
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