'Bang' low on facts, big on entertainment

THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG — *** — Yun-shik Baek, Suk-kyu Han, Jae-ho Song; in Korean and Japanese, with English subtitles; not rated, probable R (profanity, violence, gore, vulgarity, brief nudity); see Page W2 for theaters.

It's hard to know exactly how the 1979 assassination of South Korean President Park Chun-hee really occurred, but it's likely that things didn't go down the way they're depicted in "The President's Last Bang."

To say that this South Korean feature plays a little fast and loose with the facts is an understatement. And while for the most part it's a thriller, the film is occasionally leavened by moments of goofy dark humor.

That almost suggests that filmmaker Sang-soo Im is making light of the whole thing or that he's trying to spoof the usually dour political-thriller genre. So it's no wonder that "The President's Last Bang" enraged the late president's relatives, some of whom tried to have the film suppressed.

But it's certainly an entertaining version of the final days of Park, who came to power during an early-1960s coup and is shown here to be a bit of a hedonist (he's played with great gusto by veteran Korean actor Jae-ho Song).

Other government officials are becoming fed up with some of Park's controversial measures and pleasure-before-business philosophy. In fact, Korean CIA Director Kim (Yun-shik Baek) has decided to take matters into his own hands, plotting an elaborate assassination while Park is in his care.

But once the shootings occur, Kim finds himself hung out to dry. His fellow governmental officials try to make him their scapegoat as they try to seize power for themselves in the resulting chaos.

Much of the film is seen through the eyes of Ju (Suk-kyu Han), Kim's right-hand man. It's an interesting choice, as the character is a bit of an enigma, lending a dispassionate, documentary-like feel to the action. Also, the off-kilter humor is a welcome contrast, and the performances are strong, particularly by Baek as the increasingly unhinged patsy.

"The President's Last Bang" is not rated but would probably receive an R for frequent use of strong sexual profanity, a few strong scenes of violence (mostly shootings, as well as some violence against women), some graphic gore, some crude humor and sexually suggestive talk, and some brief female nudity. Running time: 102 minutes.

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