The Mayor, also known as Special Citizen, is an excellent political drama that tells the fictional story of the charismatic, greedy and influential mayor of Seoul who seeks election for a third term which will set him up for a run at the presidency. The film follows his career and life from the start of his campaign until the immediate aftermath of election day. The movie revolves around conflicts, conspiracies and corruption among the mayor's team involving betrayal, blackmail, drugs, murder, prostitution, suicide and theft. Without pointing fingers,Park In-je's movie shows how disconnected politicians are from other citizens, hence the title of the film.
The movie convinces with a twisted story exposing the abyss of the human psyche with a particularly intense middle section. The characters have depth beneath their obvious greed which makes them round but static characters. The acting performances are excellent as Korea's best actor Choi Min-sik delivers yet another career highlight portraying the twisted mayor. Female lead actress Shim Eun-kyung stands out as determined, honest and smart rookie advertisement specialist who is constantly trying to not get corrupted by her more experienced colleagues and superiors. Camera work is enjoyably calm and precise. Settings, effects and costumes are so realistic that the movie almost feels like a documentary at times or at least like a film based upon a real story.
There are only a few minor negative elements to mention. First of all, several twists of the story are predictable since movies about shameless politicians are nothing new or shocking anymore. Secondly, the movie could have had a more concise introduction, portraying the greatest moments in the mayor's career instead of throwing us into a campaign for a third term right away. Thirdly, the same thing could be said about the ending as one would have liked to know what happens next after election day. On the other side, those minor negative points also show that the great script of this movie would have made for an excellent extended televions series in the key of ''House of Cards''.
If you like realistic, intense and honest political dramas, this film will fully satisfy you. The acting skills are outstanding, the movie offers some food for thought without being overtly moralizing and the detailed script is filled with numerous twists and turns. While the movie certainly doesn't reinvent its genre, it certainly is among the better of its kind in recent memory.
