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Korea's number one fighting babe is back, but don't tell her I said that. Shin Eun-kyeong returns as the butch crime boss with wicked martial arts skills in this highly enjoyable comedic follow-up that presents the same formula, but with a new twist and even more hipster panache.
With Quentin Tarantino-esque flair, the film opens to a bloody rooftop gang brawl as Bing Crosby croons out his rendition of White Christmas. Despite a flashy aerial entrance and competent martial arts skill, Scissors gang leader Cha Eun-jin (Shin Eun-kyeong) gets knocked senseless, only to lose her memory and get picked up by a Chinese restaurant owner named Yoon Jae-choi (Park Joon-gyu). Several months later Eun-jin has settled in with Jae-choi at his restaurant in a close-knit community where she makes deliveries while continually attempting everything imaginable in hopes of getting her memory back. Although initially despised by Jae-choi's troubled teenage daughter and harassed by an obnoxious neighbor, Eun-jin becomes the object of affection for most of the men in the neighborhood and respected by the women for using her inbred fighting skills and tough nature to stand up to bank robbers, local gangsters, and male chauvinists. But once the Scissors gang discovers her whereabouts, as does a rival gang leader named White Shark who has a score to settle, it is only a matter of time before Eun-jin recovers her memory in time to reclaim her position as gang leader and defend her turf.
In My Wife is a Gangster, the clever premise dealt with Eun-jin's reluctant efforts to find a husband, despite her complete disinterest in men. Stretching the theme a bit by having her lose her memory, only to repeat her awkward romancing with another man works just as well in part two. Park Joon-gyu replaces Park Sang-myun and plays a less-timid suitor, but is just as smitten with her. But the story broadens nicely to focus on Eun-jin's relationship with his daughter as a handful of colorful and quirky characters fill out the story. All of the acting is spot on with Eun-kyeong's tough-girl charms and Joon-gyu's world-weary ease grounding the more outrageous performances.
Editing for maximum comedic effect is tightened in this sequel and keeps the film moving along with a bounce, even through the bulk of non-action scenes. In keeping with South Korea's popular film trends, there is a strong streak of cheeky and offbeat humor effectively mixed with a dash of drama. Scenes consistently dip into slapstick with Eun-kyeong being electrocuted with exaggerated results or getting into awkward scenarios as a result of her lost memory. A particularly goofy scene resembles a Blake Edwards film as Eun-jin's bombshell girlfriend fails to joggle the crime boss's memory with her assets, but does distract a motorcyclist who runs down a would-be assassin in a madcap chain of events. A few of the cruder comedy scenes are a little too obvious in their attempts to illicit a laugh, while others are nonsensical or tap into pop culture in the vein of a Stephen Chow film, but excellent pacing saves the day.
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