Tazza: The High Rollers (AKA: War of Flowers) (DVD) (Taiwan Version) DVD Region All

The film begins as a young man called Goni (Cho Seung Woo, also in Marathon and Love Phobia) loses money belonging to his family in a rigged game of cards, and leaves home to try and redeem himself. He is taken on by reigning card master Pyung Kung Jang (played by Baek Yun Shik, who previously worked with the director on The Big Swindle), who recognises his potential and slowly trains him into a devious gambling machine. Along the rocky road, he encounters the mysterious Madam Jeong (Kim Hye Su, recently in The Red Shoes), a seductive beauty who attempts to lure him into her employ for her own ends. Unfortunately, the high life comes with a heavy price, as Goni is pulled into a vicious circle of revenge and deceit, which threatens to cost him far more than just money.

The amoral world of Tazza: The High Rollers is established right from the opening scene, with director Choi making it immediately clear that he is unlikely to pull any punches. Indeed, the characters are soon shown to be a desperate, ruthless bunch whose lives revolve almost entirely around betrayal and deception, something which he never sugar coats or undermines with any kind of forced righteousness. Thankfully, they prove to be an interesting, complicated and, initially at least, charming bunch, especially Goni, whose inevitable transformation from innocent idiot to suave card shark is a wholly compelling one, and femme fatale Madam Jeong, whose unpredictable ruthlessness provides the film with its dark, yet strangely vulnerable heart. The riveting way in which the relationship between the two twists and turns is one of the film's strongest aspects, thanks in no small part to the believable chemistry between Cho and Kim, both of whom turn in excellent performances.

Although the film does have a fairly traditional structure, following Goni as he gradually learns the craft and works his way up through the ranks towards an inevitable showdown with the psychotic lead villain, Choi throws in a good number of sub-plots and surprises along the way, often shifting its focus to other characters. The chapter-based progression works well, lending the film an almost mythic aspect and helping to keep the story focused during its increasingly complicated scheming and plotting. As a result, the film is fascinating whether the viewer has any familiarity with or interest in Korean card games or not, and it works perfectly as a character-driven, high-tension thriller.

Essentially a film noir with cards, the film is an unashamedly adult affair, with a fair bit of violence, especially towards the end, and some surprising nudity, all of which helps to keep things entertaining and adds a valuable visceral dimension. Choi does inject a certain bitter, dark sense of humour, and although it is wisely never allowed to detract from the seriousness of the business at hand, it does make for some cynically amusing moments.

Choi directs with a real flair, giving the film a classy yet gritty air, and he demonstrates an excellent use of colour, skilfully using a lurid palette to underline the enticingly dangerous world of high stakes gambling. Avoiding the hyperkinetic style favoured by so many young directors, he injects the proceedings with an ever-present energy and tension through far more controlled, though no less stylish means, showing himself to have matured considerably as a filmmaker since his debut outing. The film is one of the few to make good use of split screen technique, which Choi employs along with other visual flourishes and a real eye for detail (apparently the result of considerable research into hwatoo, which certainly shows on screen) to emphasise the complex subtleties and lightening fast movements of the card games in a way which really pulls the viewer into the action. Backed by a suitably cool soundtrack, the result is an intensely atmospheric experience which is engrossing throughout, and despite a running time of nearly two and a half hours, if anything the film feels too short.

This more than anything is a tribute to how good a film Tazza: The High Rollers really is, being one of the very few in recent memory to leave the viewer wanting more. Easily the best of the gambling films since the glory days of God of Gamblers back in the early nineties, it also stands as one of the best films from Korea in the last few years, and offers fast paced, expertly crafted entertainment of the highest order.

by James Mudge - BeyondHollywood.com