Once Upon a Time in High School aka Spirit of Jeet Keun Do (2004) Maljukgeori Janhoksa

Directed by Ha Yu (Marriage Is a Crazy Thing)

Starring Kwone Sang-woo (Volcano High), Lee Jeong-jin (Bloody Beach)

Another film that along with Whispering Corridors highlights the grim side of the Korean education system up until recent times. Whereas Whispering Corridors wrapped it up in a traditional style ghost story, this film includes scenes of almost gross out comedy and seriously o.t.t. martial arts action.

Set in the 70s with strict codes of almost militaristic discipline in schools, a transfer student manages to muddle his way through becoming best friends with another boy due to a shared passion for Bruce Lee films. He falls in love though this is unrequited, falls out with his best friend and goes through a series of (at times cliched) episodes that seem very familiar and universal.

Personally I felt the story and accurate portrayal of 70s Korea and of the schools in particular were enough to make this film successful. By adding the teen style comedy and martial arts they have no doubt widened the prospective audience but in my opinion it does cheapen and weaken the overall impact.

Another niggle, I think you can sometimes get away with passing off someone in their early twenties as a school senior, (even easier when they are female) but several of the main characters were in their mid to late twenties, and it showed. 

None of these problems will stop the film being a major hit but Id imagine that because the fighting etc are over the top that most audiences outside of Korea will see the whole film as a kind of fantasy whereas in fact key elements of the strict discipline and physical bullying from teachers were the norm.

The song that plays over the end credits manages to say more about the damage inflicted by this form of educational system than the film manages in its almost 2 hour running time. 

Sorry if the comments seem perfunctory, but theres nothing I can add except that this film has taken a troubling issue and turned it into an entertaining fantasy.

Cheers Trev. 

R2 Pal dvd available from Premier Asia, extras include interviews with the secondary characters, these are at times genuinely funny and info on the martial arts sequences.

R3 ntsc also available in several forms.