Carter (film)

Carter (Korean: 카터; RR: Kateo) is a 2022 South Korean action thriller film directed by Jung Byung-gil, who co-wrote the film with Jung Byeong-sik. The film stars Joo Won, Lee Sung-jae, Jeong So-ri and Kim Bo-min.[2]

Carter
Promotional poster
Hangul
카터
Revised RomanizationKateo
Directed byJung Byung-gil
Written by
  • Jung Byung-gil
  • Jung Byeong-sik
Produced by
  • Jung Byung-gil
  • Jung Byeong-sik
Starring
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • August 5, 2022 (2022-08-05)
Running time
132 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
Languages
  • Korean
  • English
Budget₩30 billion[1]

Carter was released on August 5, 2022 by Netflix, where it received mixed to negative reviews from critics who praised the action sequences, cinematography and Joo Won's performance, but criticized its plot and screenwriting.[3]

Plot

In the midst of a deadly pandemic caused by a virus which makes the infected patients violent and zombie-like originating from the DMZ that has already devastated the US and North Korea, a man awakes in a blood-soaked bed at a motel room in Seoul with a cross-shaped scar on the back of his head. The CIA agents arrive and demands him about the location of Dr. Jung Byung-ho. With no recollections of his past, the man doesn't know about his and Dr. Jung's identity. A female voice inside his ear tells him that his name is Carter and needs to accept her directions if he wants to live.

Following the female voice's instructions, Carter escapes the room and enters a public bath where nearly a hundred gangsters attack try to kill him, but Carter survives their assault with his lethal fighting skills. Inside a van of NIS agents, the female voice reveals herself as Han Jung-hee who works for North Korea's Labor Party, which has partnered with South Korea to create a treatment for the virus. Dr. Jung Byung-ho, who successfully cured his own infected daughter Ha-na, leads the project based on an antibody from her. On the way to a lab in North Korea, Ha-na went missing presumably kidnapped by the CIA.

Carter's mission is to rescue Ha-na and bring her back to the North Korean facility where the production of a vaccine is underway. When questioned about his identity and involvement in this mission, Carter is told that he is a South Korean-born naturalized citizen of North Korea who has decided to take part in the mission to save his own infected daughter, but the CIA agents approaches him and claims that he is actually a former spy named Michael Bane who was believed to be dead during a mission in Syria. After a series of combats, Carter manages to arrive in North Korea with Ha-na where they meet Han Jung-hee and her superior North Korean General Kim Jong-hyeok.

Before Carter can complete his mission and get his memories back, General Kim betrays Jung-hee and Carter to launch a military coup against the North Korean government. While Ha-na is a captive of Kim's forces and Kim works to convince Jung-hee to join the coup, Carter escapes from the soldiers assigned to kill him and follows Kim and Jung-hee to a biomedical facility where Ha-na stays, reuniting with her father Dr. Jung. Carter learns that Jung-hee is his wife and shoots Kim who threatens Jung-hee with a gun. At the same facility, they meet their infected daughter Yoon-hee who behaves violently and attacks Jung-hee. Dr. Jung injects Yoon-hee with an antidote which makes her temporarily unconscious. After fighting against the infected patients and Kim's soldiers, they escape the facility in a jeep.

Carter, Jung-hee, Yoon-hee, Dr. Jung and Ha-na hope to catch a train operated by Chinese government, carrying infected people to Dandong. On the way, Jung-hee and Dr. Jung restore Carter's memories by activating a device implanted in the back of his head. Carter remembers that he agreed to this mission in exchange of his family's freedom and that he suggested blocking his memories to ensure that he couldn't betray North Korea. Following a chase and combat with Kim's forces, the five finally manage to board the Chinese train. Yoon-hee wakes up, apparently cured from the disease. As the train is crossing a bridge, a bomb blast occurs which makes the train head for a fall.

Cast

Production

In March 2021, Joo Won was confirmed to star.[7] In May 2021, Lee Sung-jae confirmed his appearance.[8]

Filming took place in Osong, North Chungcheong Province in late June 2021.[9]

Reception

Viewership

Within 3 days of release Carter recorded 27.3 million hours viewed and ranked 1 in Netflix's global Top 10 movie (non-English) category for the week of August 1 to 7, entering the Top 10 list in a total of 90 countries.[10][11][12] At one point, the movie ranked in the global all-time top 10 but fell out with 65.39 million hours watched in the first 28 days.[13]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 35% of 23 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.0/10. [14] Kim Na-yeon of Star News praised the direction of action scenes such as making the helicopter aerial battle and skydiving fight scene in live action rather than CG and the intense action performance of Joo Won.[15] Kim Bo-ram in her review for Yonhap News praised director for creatively weaving "breath-taking action sequences of physical combat, gun fights and large-scale helicopter stunts" but stated that "latter part of the movie, when the true story of Carter's mission is revealed, makes the majority of the parts, including the fast-paced action scenes, almost tiring."[16] YTN's Kang Nae-ri stated that the film fails to attracts audience's immersion and the tension decreases towards the second half, but praised Joo Won for his splendid action performance and digesting title role.[17] Writing for Sports Kyunghyang, Lee Da-won criticised the director for using Joo Won's efforts in a crude way. Lee stated that the only good thing about this movie is Joo Won's action sequences but his power lasts less than 20 minutes due to the tattered story and senseless directing.[18]

In his review for South China Morning Post, James Marsh wrote [film's] "action feels weightless and simulated, even when propped up by Won’s insanely physical performance", described the film "dizzyingly ridiculous" and rated it with 2 out of 5 stars.[19] Rohan Naahar writing for The Indian Express rated the film 1 out of 5, describing the film as "an action film so ridiculous that you’ll often wish that you were among the scores of faceless villains whose heads are smashed to a pulp by the film’s protagonist", and criticizing film's resemblance a video game.[20] Writing for Mashable Sam Haysom described the opening sequence "dizzying, fantastically choreographed, ultra-violent, and impressively filmed" so that it "leaves you feeling sea sick and a bit drained" and stated "The quantity and scale of action is both Carter's greatest strength and its greatest weakness. It's all very well done, but there's just too much of it." Concluding his review, Haysom wrote that the audience is "barely given time to draw a breath — and the film suffers for it."[21]

Notes
  1. Ha Seong-tae (August 11, 2022). "넷플릭스가 300억 투자한 '카터', 괴작이 된 이유" [Why Netflix's 30 Billion Invested 'Carter' Becomes a Masterpiece]. Oh My News (in Korean). Retrieved August 11, 2022 – via Naver.
  2. Travis Clark (February 3, 2022). "20 international movies Netflix is releasing this year as it beefs up its global reach beyond TV hits". Business Insider. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  3. Dong Sun-hwa (July 9, 2022). "'Carter' starring Joo Won to be released on Netflix". The Korea Times. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  4. Yoo Su-kyung (March 19, 2021). "독한 액션 도전하는 주원, 넷플릭스 '카터' 주연". hankookilbo (in Korean). Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  5. Kang Min-kyung (May 4, 2021). "이성재, 넷플릭스 '카터' 출연 확정..주원과 호흡 [공식]" [Lee Seong-jae confirmed to appear in Netflix's 'Carter'... Breathing with Joo-won [Official]]. Starnews (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  6. Yang Yu-jin (August 12, 2022). "'카터' 속 그 목소리…정소리, 전 세계 시청자 관심 한몸에" [That voice in 'Carter'... Jung So-ri, the attention of viewers around the world]. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Naver.
  7. Jo Eun-mi (March 19, 2021). "주원, 넷플릭스 영화 '카터' 주연 役 캐스팅 확정..액션 대가 정병길 감독 신작(공식)" [Joo Won Confirms Casting for the Leading Role in Netflix Movie 'Carter'...]. Herald POP (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 6, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  8. Kang Min-kyung (May 13, 2021). "이성재, 넷플릭스 '카터' 출연 확정..주원과 호흡 [공식]" [Lee Sung-jae confirmed to appear in Netflix's 'Carter'... Breathing with Joo-won [Official]]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  9. Yoo Jae-seong (June 27, 2021). "넷플릭스 영화 '카터' 촬영, 충북 오송 일부도로 통제" [Filming of Netflix movie 'Carter' takes control of some roads in Osong, Chungcheongbuk-do]. The Fact (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 6, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022 – via Naver.
  10. Cheon Yoon-hye (August 10, 2022). "'카터', 공개 3일만 넷플릭스 글로벌 TOP10 비영어 영화 1위..액션 명장면 셋" ['Carter' tops Netflix's global TOP 10 non-English movies in only 3 days of release... Three action scenes]. Herald POP (in Korean). Retrieved August 10, 2022 – via Naver.
  11. "Top Ten Films (Non-English) AUGUST 1 - AUGUST 7, 2022". top10.netflix.com (in Korean). Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  12. Kim Bo-ram (August 10, 2022). "Korean actioner 'Carter' debuts at No. 1 on Netflix's weekly chart". Yonhap News. Retrieved August 10, 2022 – via Naver.
  13. Moore, Kasey (February 9, 2023). "Most Watched Series & Movies on Netflix (Hours Watched)". What's on Netflix. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  14. "Carter (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  15. Kim Na-yeon (August 13, 2022). "'카터', 주원만 남았다 [김나연의 사선]" ['Carter', only Joo Won remains [Kim Na-yeon's line]]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved August 13, 2022 – via Naver.
  16. Kim Bo-ram (August 5, 2022). "(Movie Review) 'Carter,' a high-octane action thriller that feels like a video game". Yonhap News. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  17. Kang Nae-ri (August 5, 2022). "[Y리뷰] '카터', 허무하다…주원 액션만 남기고 모든 것이" [[Y Review] 'Carter' is useless... Everything except the Joo Won action]. YTN (in Korean). Retrieved August 8, 2022 – via Naver.
  18. Lee Da-won (August 7, 2022). "그건 아마 '주원'의 잘못은 아닐거야[편파적인 씨네리뷰]" [It's probably not Joo Won's fault [Unbiased Cinereview]]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved August 8, 2022 – via Naver.
  19. James Marsh (August 4, 2022). "Netflix movie review: Carter – Joo Won is a fighting machine in ridiculous action thriller by The Villainess director Jung Byung-gil". South China Morning Post. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  20. Rohan Naahar (August 5, 2022). "Carter movie review: Netflix's crazy Korean action film is ambitious, but aggressively stupid". The Indian Express. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  21. Sam Haysom (August 5, 2022). "Netflix's 'Carter' review: Nonstop action at its most violent and exhausting". Mashable. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
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