A Company Man

A Company Man was released as an action thriller back in 2012. The plot revolves Hyeong-do, an assassin masked by that of his company, falling in love with a single mother who cares for her two children. Infatuated by her does he do everything in his power to rid himself of the bad blood he's conjured. But in doing so, the company whom he works for places a target on his back, putting him and his new love interest in immense danger.

Plot

With a suit, tie and clean getup, Hyeong-do is seen as a day-to-day business man working for a well renowned company. On the outside, his life seems perfect, but on the inside, his mysteriousness is needed to keep his secrets from pooling to the surface.

Hyeong-do, by far, is the best assassin to the date and is valued for his extensive work. Calm, collected, and nothing short of a blood-thirsty killer doing whatever it is that he is told to do, Hyeong-do not only praises his authority, but gives off more of a "loyal dog" title which is probably why he's trampled on for what it's worth.

But his seemingly monstrous ways diminish when he encounters a single mother by the name of Mi-yeon. With a seemingly shy and introverted sense of beauty, Mi-yeon snatches Hyeong-do's heart and upon entering his life, infatuates him with her previous singing/musical history and her open-minded view on life.

Wallowing in guilt for his horrid past, Hyeong-do wishes to better himself for Mi-yeon and quits his job at the company. Assuming that they'd leave him be as they had done with all the other assassins, Hyeong-do is startled to find his own well-being jeopardized when he's almost killed by two of his allies. And it's then that he realizes the company men and women won't stop until they destroy the link that has made him human: Mi-yeon.

Overall

This is the first movie I've seen featuring So Ji-sub and almost immediately do you see his experience in acting. He fits the description of an emotionless assassin whose doing what he's told to do without question. What with those puppy dog eyes, I simply couldn't find a way to hate his character and the development that comes to terms through this whole movie expresses the true nature of his being. He's not as monstrous as he's played out to be or like the other mercenaries he works side-by-side with are.

In one instance, Hyeong-do is sent to assassinate a former ally whose seemed to have gone to the inevitable dark side after losing his son. Instead of killing him, Hyeong-do tries desperately to talk sense into him and tries coaxing him back into the company. But when that fails, he has no choice but to do his job.

Also, Hyeong-do and Mi-yeon's relationship wasn't overdone or overplayed in a cliché fashion. His feelings for her were innocent and sweet. The fact that in such short notice, he wanted to better himself as a person before pursuing her said a lot of his character.

Of course, as all star-crossed lovers, these two simply couldn't be together and without spoiling more than I should, the heightened climax really had me reeling. You see the turning point in which the company seems to pull back on Hyeong-do's leash. And after all these years of abuse, it's inevitable that he'll snap. The outcome of it was something startling. But throw in So Ji-sub wearing a nice suit, bloodied and out on a killing spree to quench his vengeful thirst and you'll have yourself quite the eventful ending.