While "Traffickers" ("Gong-mo-ja-deul") is not the brightest moment in Korean cinema, it is neither the darkest. This movie is the type of movie that will have to simmer for a little while as it sinks in, because it is a movie that gives you something to think about.
As such, then "Traffickers" may not appeal to just everyone in the audience, and can be something of an acquired taste.
The story is about a group of people who deal in illegally obtained organs taken from people against their will, with deadly results.
While there are many different layers to the story here, it does seem a little bit out of place, and as if director Hong-seon Kim is trying a little bit too much, and not fully accomplishing what set out for. However, as the movie progress, what previously didn't make much sense or came off as being strange and out of place, starts to make sense as the pieces of the puzzle start to come together. With a movie that works in this manner, perhaps a second viewing is to be done in order to fully grasp the whole thing.
The acting in the movie was good, and there was a great flow to the story, although it just didn't always make much sense at first.
It should be said that there are some fairly brutal and visually macabre scenes throughout the movie. But for a movie of this caliber and genre, it is a necessity. But be warned, some might find it a bit appalling.
"Traffickers" is enjoyable, although two hours were pushing the boundaries a little bit, and the movie would have fared better with a bit cut out in the editing here and there. And while things portrayed in the movie may or may not actually take place in the world, then "Traffickers" does give something to think about. So if you sit down with the intend to watch this movie on autopilot, you might be better off with something else, perhaps with a movie that doesn't really require conscious thought.
