Artists, agitators and intellectuals are put through the ringer in “The 12th Suspect,” a crisply executed mystery-thriller about a military detective investigating the murder of a civilian in the i…
Conversation turns from existentialism to murder when boozy painter Woo Byeong-hong arrives with news that the body of poet and teahouse regular Baek Doo-hwan has been found at Mount Namsan, a popular peak in central Seoul. According to Woo, the dead man was a loser and not worth lamenting. Woo’s sentiments are echoed by Oh Hang-chul , a beefy poet who dismisses Baek as aloof and a bad writer.
Kim Sang-kyung, who made his name as the methodical city cop in Bong Joon-ho’s “Memories of Murder,” is utterly compelling as the immaculately groomed investigator who initially seems like the most polite official you could ever meet. In dulcet tones, he assures everyone, including old professor Shin Yoon-chi and moody painters Lee Ki-seob and Park In-seong , he’s here to ensure public safety in these dangerous post-war days.
Ko’s screenplay ramps up nicely when Kim shows his hand and the teahouse becomes a sealed-off interrogation center. The reason he’s handling what ought to be a regular police matter is to flush out subversives, communists and anyone else perceived to be a security threat or believed guilty of what Kim considers treason during the North’s occupation of Seoul during the war.
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