We all hate hearing about dirty cops in real life, but they're often intriguing subjects in crime cinema. Such is the case in writer/director Choi Ho's BLOODY TIES. Well, a dirty cop is only one of the two lead characters. A drug dealer who also sidelines as a snitch is the other main protagonist. As one might guess, that means this is a film with a lot of grit that explores the dark places of life.

Detective Doh is a prick. No doubt about it. He not only stretches the rules to make arrests, he also physically bullies anyone who gets in his way, regardless who they are, good or bad. On the other hand, his mission to bust the numerous drug rings in Busan calls for unorthodox methods. But it's the death of his partner at the hands of a ruthless drug lord that really drives Doh to resort to reprehensible behavior. For example, if that means beating up someone from the D.A.'s office, then so be it. Anyway, Doh is determined to bring the drug lord to justice. That means persuading Sangdo, a notorious drug dealer and police informant, to help him. They form an uneasy alliance in a dangerous effort to bring down the drug lord and his operation. Trouble is, Sangdo is not exactly the most trustworthy person to partner up with, but neither is Doh. Will these two guys get the job done or will they end up killing each other?

Choi Ho and cinematographer Hyun-jae Oh do a good job with the visuals in the movie. This is a stylish film, yes, but unfortunately there are also disappointing moments where its style gets in the way of the story and action. Most of the time it's because the film is trying far too hard to be cool, even utilizing unnecessary gimmick shots here and there. Likewise, the music is hot and cold, with some of the tunes working quite well and other numbers obviously the result of playing ideas. There seems to be a lot of American influence in the film. I thought I saw a little of both CASINO and GOODFELLAS, not to mention obvious tributes to 70's USA filmmaking. The color timing is a little weird. Quite simply, it's too dark. While I like the sharp contrastive look, there are times when I can barely make out what is going on in the scene. I am extremely impressed with the work from editors Jae-beom Kim and Sang-beom Kim for their crisp and taut cuts. Their efforts greatly add a lot of atmosphere to the movie. By the way, this flick could easily lose its viewers in the beginning, what with the way the story goes from narrative to static to disjointed and back again throughout the first act. But as the picture progresses, things get better, leading to a wonderful third act.

The acting is like everything else in the picture. Sometimes the actors really pull the audience in and other times they over-amp their performances by playing results, indicating, and hamming it up. Jeong-min Hwang effortlessly makes Detective Doh an unlikable character. That's cool, but now and then it bugged me. Fact is, I wanted to like the guy at least a little bit. I mean, he's one of the leads, right? Sang-beom Ryu is usually on target as Sangdo, though he has his bad moments as well. Once in a while he gets a case of the cutes and believes himself to be cooler or more engaging than he really is. At least, that's how I see it. But overall, the acting is solid. Actually, the best performance probably belongs to the dramatically alluring Ja-Hyeon Chu as Ji-young, a drug addicted prostitute who is also Sangdo's love interest.

BLOODY TIES is presented as one of Tartan's “Asia Extreme” titles. One thing that might be extreme is the 117 minute running time. While the editors did a top shelf job, director Choi Ho probably should have cut some of the fat from his script. Some scenes play too long, which dilutes the suspense. The disc itself is in above average shape. Aside from some blacker than black color timing, the picture is clear. The sound is available with several options, with none of them being great but they still do the job. Extras include the original trailer, a making-of featurette, and teasers for other Tartan Asia Extreme releases. Overall, I have no problem recommending BLOODY TIES to genre fans, particularly if they're into Asian cinema. It certainly doesn't qualify as an Asian film classic, but it's a fascinating crime drama that gradually builds momentum and pays off with an exciting finish.