I picked up Righteous Ties because I liked the writer-director Jang Jin's previous works as a genre-tweaking talent with a great sense of humor. However, in this gangster comedy/drama/farce/etc., I think the good director drops the ball.
All the things the director is good at: great sense of humor, ability to warp around genre conventions, transitioning between comedy and drama, they're all present. At times, you're watching a pretty ridiculous straight faced comedy, which turns into a sweet action sequence, and then a slapstick piece and then a dramatic exploration of friendship. And none of it feels too far out of place. The problem lies in the story and in the weak drama segments.
It's a story about a pair of gangsters, one who ends up having to go to jail and is betrayed by his mafia boss and his childhood buddy, who remains loyal to the gang, despite discovering this. Most of the film occurs without significant interaction between the two sides, as the jailbird adapts to life in prison (meeting up with another betrayed gangster/childhood friend in the process) and planning a jailbreak. The other gangster works with the gang to set up a new drug operation.
Here's the problem: the drama hinges on the relationship between these two characters, but we never see that relationship develop or even explore their relationship except for a couple very brief melodramatic flashbacks to their childhood times. This is somehow supposed to engender sympathy and show the strength of relationship, but none of this is followed through over the course of the film, so the conflict between the two feels manufactured and hollow. Not to say that there isn't anything entertaining about this, but the entertaining comedy and action feels strung together by an underbaked story and consequently, it doesn't feel like a coherent story. This is complicated by adding in a lot of sub-characters and plots that aren't necessary nor contribute to the main story, even thematically.
But the action with the near invincible gangsters is fun and kinetic. The comedy drew laughs. Production values are solid and the actors are convincing in their roles. The director has a good eye, it's just that his storytelling didn't hold up to his directing this time. As such, I will have to call this one a good try, but a pass. 5/10.
