Director: Nam Dong-hyup
Starring: Lee Sung-min, Lee Hee-joon, Gong Seung-yeon, Park Ji-hwan, Lee Kyu-hyung
Country of Origin: South Korea
Running time: 1h 41m
A deadly chain of misconceptions rouses a ghastly spirit in a barmy tale of two good-natured oddballs who purchase their ideal house in the South Korean countryside.
Carpenters Kang Jae-pil (Lee Sung-min) and Park Sang-gu (Lee Hee-joon) vow to start afresh in the great outdoors but are mistaken for criminals after they cross paths with aspiring playboy golfer Lee Seong-bin (Jang Dong-joo) and his posse of youthful spongers.
The harmless pair look menacing, not least due to their bizarro fashion sense, but only crave a bucolic existence.
Singled out by local police Chief Choi (Park Ji-hwan) and his partner, officer Nam Dong-yoon (Lee Kyu-hyung), the eccentric duo’s hopes of a tranquil life living off the land are almost immediately scuppered.
However it’s only when the self-styled ‘tough handsome’ Jae-pil and ‘sexy handsome’ Sang-gu get mixed up with Seong-bin’s latest fling, Kim Mi-na (Gong Seung-yeon), that everything accelerates into madness.
Distraught that she’s being used by erratic party boy Seong-bin, hardworking student Mi-na storms off in a fit of rage only to fall into a lake after being startled by the sight of Jae-pil and Sang-gu fishing.
The unconventional twosome saves Mi-na from drowning, yet Seong-bin and his party-loving friends believe the seemingly fearsome tag team have kidnapped her.
It’s a pivotal mix-up that leads to a domino effect of crossed wires.
In between the messy confusion, a nefarious mystery unravels in the decrepit European-style house – which once belonged to an American missionary – which the title characters extensively renovate.
Modelled on Eli Craig’s brilliantly inventive Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) – which is definitely worth seeking out – it adds a supernatural element and different slant on an already fantastic story.
What’s not to love about a film that features a berserk talking goat, a set of ridiculously ham-fisted cops, and a leading double act who unwittingly scare the bejesus out of everyone they meet?
The action progresses swiftly and jauntily transitions from comic horror and gore to companionship and sentiment.
There are playful takes on American classics, from parodies of a notorious chainsaw wielding maniac to a renowned head-spinning demonically possessed girl.
It’s as far out as you can get at times, yet director Nam Dong-hyup continues to push the narrative further into a bonkers abyss.
Yet a clear message about the value of friendship and making snap judgements based solely on appearance shines through.
More than anything, Handsome Guys is wickedly funny, anchored by wonderful performances from Lee Sang-min and Lee Hee-joon.
Both successfully convey a sense of inadvertent intimidation as well-meaning characters who sometimes don’t seem to fit in the modern world.
Amid the havoc and discombobulation, there are heartfelt scenes that make more of an impact than some of the scares and gory effects.
Lee Hee-joon rocks the house as Sang-gu when he starts throwing some shapes to a dishwashing mixtape in a hilarious attempt to impress Mi-na – played with a determined vigour by the brilliant Gong Seung-yeon.
Both the leads yearn for female company, and the dance routine (there’s also a great housecleaning mixtape sequence as well) sparks an envious reaction from the perpetually excellent Lee Sang-min as Jae-pil.
Unlike the American original, there is less of a romantic theme in Handsome Guys, which instead focuses (sometimes overly so) on an occult legend.
Yet rather than a descent into petrifying darkness, it’s a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek jaunt that breezily takes us round the bend and back again.
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Stephen Kasiewicz 