Jakarta (2000) User Reviews

Might fool the unwary into thinking it's a Korean Tarantino movie

[simon_booth · 9/10 · 17 March 2002]

Clever Korean 'heist gone wrong' movie, based around the premise that 3 groups of people all decide to rob the same bank at the same time. Hence chaos arises. What's clever about the movie is that it is one of those 'self-revisionist' type movies like Too Many Ways To Be Number One/Memento. The first half of the movie plays out straight, following the 3 groups from the start of the heist to the end. Then (quite without warning or indication it must be said) it flashes back to some time before the start and plays through again, this time showing you all the things you didn't see the first time. This changes the meaning of certain key events, and hence your perception of the conclusion.

Good characters and performances, clever idea, nicely executed. Good stuff! The Korean DVD is good quality, except the English subtitles are sometimes out of sync with the dialogue, and on one or two sentences just not there at all.

A nice find

[Keleel3 · 9/10 · 11 February 2002]

I'm still replaying this film in my head, and in doing so, finding little things that I missed. Much like "The Usual Suspects," this one throws you for a loop.

However, the great revelations in "Jakarta" don't come in one momentous moment such as the above mentioned "Suspects," or "The Crying Game" but rather, the intricacies of the plot unveil themselves throughout the second half of the film. It's kinda like the Christopher Nolan's "Memento" in that matter.

In terms of plot, saying even a little would give away too much. However, what seems like a simple scenario of bad timing on account of three different groups of thieves turns out to be much more complicated, and much more intricate then what's on the surface.

That being said, this film plays out almost like a Korean "Reservoir Dogs" meets "Memento." You have suggested torture scenes, a warehouse where the thieves take their victims, as well as the inter-quarreling amongst them. However, while "Reservoir Dogs" only mentioned and hinted at what really happened at the bank heist, you do get to see the whole thing done in its glory in "Jakarta." All of this isn't done in great seriousness however, and the film is very funny, finding some very darkly humorous moments.

There are some flaws to be mentioned; the DVD that I watched it on had horrendous subtitling. Being able to understand enough Korean, I wasn't too happy with some of the translations, and was surprised to find that some dialogues of speech weren't even translated into subtitles. I guess whoever was doing the subtitling got a bit lazy.

Likewise, while I really liked how deceptive this movie was, it did get a bit confusing in the end, and my friend whom I saw this with was even more confused, as he had only the subtitling to work off of. This is definitely a film that requires a second viewing, and honestly, I don't mind whatsoever.

Clever 'heist gone wrong'

[devil.plaything · 15 January 2002]

Clever Korean 'heist gone wrong' movie, based around the premise that 3 groups of people all decide to rob the same bank at the same time. Hence chaos arises. What's clever about the movie is that it is one of those 'self-revisionist' type movies like Too Many Ways To Be Number One/Memento. The first half of the movie plays out straight, following the 3 groups from the start of the heist to the end. Then (quite without warning or indication it must be said) it flashes back to some time before the start and plays through again, this time showing you all the things you didn't see the first time. This changes the meaning of certain key events, and hence your perception of the conclusion.

Good characters and performances, clever idea, nicely executed. Good stuff!

Entertaining and full of surprises

[jchen012 · 10/10 · 6 November 2012]

This heist movie is easy to follow and yet full of creatively arranged surprises. It is also very funny and gets more and more entertaining until the end. Watching it till the half, you may think you know the story but then the movie uses flashbacks that nicely reveals the twists in the real story. Some parts of the movie are violent but they are made up for later on when you start to understand the story. The title has nothing to do with the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. At least, not until almost the end of the movie. I watched it three times (despite that I am not a movie addict and hardly watch any movie another time) and still got surprised here and there and got to laugh many times!

Surprising twists at every turn

[giammarcoken · 8/10 · 20 September 2001]

During the first 20 minutes of watching Jakarta, I was disappointed. It seemed like it was going to be a typical gangster/hostage film. Three sets of thieves plan to rob a bank. The robbery seems to go horribly wrong. But then, slowly--through flashbacks, the director reveals that the movie you think you are watching is totally different from what you are watching. It was a pleasure to be watching a film and thinking about each action, trying to find hidden meanings and connections rather than just having everything handed to me. It was a nice change to have a film, especially of this genre, treat the audience as intelligent adults. The criminals plots and counterplots will keep you guessing and the outcome is brilliant. The entire cast does an admirable job especially Lim Chang Jung. If you are looking for something a little different, give this a try. Your patience through the first part will be well rewarded.

A twisty comic heist movie

[BrianThibodeau · 30 August 2004]

JAKARTA (2000): This one almost never gets mentioned on the Korean film websites, and yet I believe it cracked the top ten that year). It's a twisty comic heist movie about three "teams" of thieves who independently plan to rob the same bank on the same day, which causes no end of pandemonium and confusion, or does it? Clever mid-film twist paints nearly all the characters in a new light and reveals a much more intriguing plot has been afoot all along.

Excellent ensemble cast, including SEX IS ZERO leading man Lim Chang-jung. Worth hunting down, and still available at some online retailers. Nice K-pop theme ballad, too.

A great movie to watch with first-timers!

[BrianThibodeau · 25 August 2004]

JAKARTA (2000): Twisty comic heist movie about three "teams" of thieves who independently plan to rob the same bank on the same day, which causes no end of pandemonium and confusion, or does it? Clever mid-film twist paints nearly all the characters in a new light and reveals a much more intriguing plot has been afoot all along, punching what at first seems like a standard issue "heist-gone-wrong" riff into the realm of the better con game movies. Excellent ensemble cast, including SEX IS ZERO leading man Lim Chang-jung. Worth hunting down, and still available at some online retailers. Nice K-pop theme ballad, too. This one almost never gets mentioned on the Korean film websites, and yet it cracked the top ten that year