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On the surface Rough Cut looks like the average Korean action movie – a plot that is largely there to move the film to the next extremely impressive action sequence, but not too much in the way of substance. Nothing could be less true of this fantastic drama about class divisions, lost dreams, personal change and loyalty.

Jang Soo-ta is an actor and a spoiled one at that. He behaves poorly and doesn’t care if he jeopardizes a film because of it. In fact, he cares little about anyone but himself. In his most recent film he has accidentally hit his co-star, inadvertently pushing him down a flight of stairs and removing him from the film. Luckily, another actor has stepped up to co-star and the film has been saved. Easily angered and learning little from his last accident on set Soo-ta is egged on by his new co-star and hits him for real during a fight sequence, causing a chain of events that almost kills the actor. With filming – and his career – threatened, Soo-ta turns to a gangster he met during a chance encounter at a bar. Lee Kang-pae is the right hand man of a crime lord who is currently in jail awaiting trial. Despite a looming schedule of fixing the trial, he agrees to act in the film on one condition – they have to do the action for real because Kang-pae can’t “fake things”. Shooting begins and comes next is a complex story of human nature as we follow both Soo-ta and Kang-pae through a web of lost dreams forcing them each to look hard at themselves and the lives they are living.

I think it can easily be said that Rough Cut is one of the best movies I will see this year. It’s complex, entertaining and much deeper than I expected. Both main characters Soo-ta and Kang-pae, played by newcomers Ji-Hwan Kang and Ji-seob So, go through such significant metamorphoses that the viewer becomes completely engrossed by their individual internal struggles, as well as significant external ones. Rarely have I seen such depth in what is advertised as an action film but it was such a pleasant surprise. It should be noted that both Ji-Hwan Kang and Ji-seob So were nominated for Best Newcomer at the 3rd Annual Asian Film Awards, with Ji-Hwan Kang being listed as the winner, but reports indicate that they actually awarded the honour to both men.

Don’t be misled though, there is some awesome action in this movie. The interludes of drama do not overshadow the action that Korean films are so well known for and certainly does not disappoint. It is a shame that Toronto seems to have the desire for so little Korean film (or Asian films in general), since the films that I’ve seen that have come out of Korea this year alone have been phenomenal. I hope that audiences clue in soon and start asking for more of these genuinely surprising and fantastic films in lieu of the same recycled films that are coming out of Hollywood right now. These are better, believe me.

Rough Cut was a thoroughly enjoyable and surprising film experience. I strongly recommend finding a copy of this as soon as it becomes available, although it would be preferable to see it on the big screen, so go hit the net and hound some distributors for a theatrical release.

Toronto After Dark runs from August 14 to 21, 2009 at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto. Click here for our coverage.