[Herald Review] ‘Amazon Bullseye,’ motley comedy of forced empathy, outdated wordplay

The most successful comedy flick in the history of Korean cinema is the 2019 movie “Extreme Job,” which sold 16.2 million tickets and grossed 140 billion won ($101 million).

Expectations had been high for “Amazon Bullseye,” which billed itself as the reunion of “Extreme Job” stars Ryoo Seung-ryong and Jin Seon-kyu, as well as screenwriter Bae Se-young.

Such expectations were dashed, however, when it opened in theaters on Oct. 30.

As the movie unfolds, with former archer Jin-bong (Ryoo Seung-ryong) crash-landing in the fictional country of Boledor where he meets members of an Indigenous Amazon tribe, many in the audience find their anticipation crashing too.

Talented archers from the village are brought to Korea, where they are to be shaped into Boledor’s national archery team with the help of Korean interpreter Bbang-sik (Jin Seon-kyu). However, almost every scene feels tinged with banality, including the wordplay involving an outdated Korean phrase “ddabong” — meaning great — and the Portuguese word “ta bom,” meaning okay.

The director’s portrayal of tragicomic scenes in which the villagers’ attempt to adapt to life in Seoul are also disappointing. Whether hunting for fish with a spear in downtown Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon Stream, or barbecuing chicken on an apartment veranda -- the build-up behind each joke’s delivery feels clumsy.

The way in which the movie tries to draw sympathy from the audience is perhaps worse.

The archers’ story is touching: they agree to fly to Korea to win an archery competition to stop the company that brought them there from digging for gold ore in their village. The attempts to draw tears from the audience, however, feel forced. As it shares lessons about how great and precious Mother Nature or how greedy people in Seoul are, the movie attempts to draw empathy through the unusual combination of archery and the Amazon.

Ryoo Seung-ryong, the versatile actor seen in “Extreme Job” and “Moving,” among others, said he wanted to star in “Amazon Bullseye” because of the message it shares about being part of a community.

“The movie is about how much empathy we have for society. It’s a story about a father, a dad and a colleague, as well as a community member on the other side of the world. I think this movie, despite being a comedy film, has a message about how we should prioritize empathy,” Ryoo told reporters during an interview in Seoul on Oct. 24.

How did he evaluate his own comedy acting?

“I think, as an actor, I should not be the only one who finds my comedy acting funny. I try to make small achievements while shooting certain scenes, such as using body language, slapstick comedy movement and vice versa. I try to focus on making these small achievements and that, as a whole, creates a comical situation,” Ryoo added.

Jin Seon-kyu, who plays a second-generation Korean living in Boledor with his Korean dad and a Boledorian mom, had lines in Korean, Portuguese and Guarani, an official language of Paraguay.

“There was just one person who could speak Paraguayan Guarani in Korea. She is married a Korean man living in Daegu, so I went to her and learned every single syllable of my lines in Paraguayan Guarani. But then I was so bad at memorizing, I had to prepare a lot, including the ad-libs in that language,” said Jin during an interview with reporters in Seoul on Oct. 24.

Jin said the weeklong shooting in the Amazon was something unforgettable.

“I was shocked by the environmental situation there. I’ve always believed that the Amazon is somewhere that can protect the Earth, functioning like its lungs, but all forests were severely dried and there was flooding everywhere. I believed that this movie really portrayed the seriousness of the Amazon's situation well,” Jin added.

“Amazon Bullseye” opened in local theaters on Oct. 30.