There’s something about a good adventure yarn which feels inherently satisfying. Treasure hunters like Indiana Jones, Laura Croft or Nathan Drake capture the imaginations of both the young and old. They operate in worlds that are both dangerous and very appealing. The same can be said for heist movies. Accomplishing something as a team has its own unique rewards. Combine them together and you have the best of both worlds. Collectors spans both worlds and is immensely fun.
Kang Dong-goo (Lee Je-hoon) is a young and highly successful thief who specialises in recovering historical artefacts. If the job calls for it, he works with murals expert ‘Doctor Jones’ (Jo Woo-jin) and master digger ‘Shovel Leg’ (Im Won-hee). When he’s approached with an offer by Yoon (Shin Hye-sun), a curator with expertise in the area, the money is too good to refuse. The tomb robbers get to work, but have they bitten off more than they can chew this time?
Collectors is a slick and stylish crime comedy with a tone that is light throughout. Even when the stakes are life and death. Park Jung-bae’s film benefits from having a highly-likable cast and nefariously comical bad guys. It’s amusing and airy, although the plot probably wouldn’t withstand great scrutiny. But that’s not the point. Collectors is good old-fashioned romp. A heist movie that hits all the right notes.
Collectors screens at London Korean Film Festival which takes place between 4-19 November.
