Yadang: The Snitch Review: Squid Game’s Kang Ha-Neul Plays A “Snitch” Who’s Not Really One

Yadang: The Snitch (M18)

Starring Kang Ha-neul, Yoo Hai-jin, Park Hae-joon, Ryu Kyung-soo, Chae Won-been

Directed by Hwang Byeong-gug

Movies about snitches are rare.

Keep waiting.

Because this show isn’t about one. At least not in the ang moh pic sense in which some turncoat rats out his gang to the cops and needs to go into hiding.

The Korean snitch here, Lee Kang-su (Squid Game’s Kang Ha-neul), is more like a broker-liaison go-betweener. He's flashy, cocky, virtually untouchable as he uses intel from low-level drug mules to set up big fishes for the authorities, specifically a prosecutor pal, Ku Gwan-hee (Exhuma's always compelling Yoo Hai-jin), to catch.

The latter accelerates his ambition to be an all-powerful government lawman. Lee, meanwhile, struts around like a brash celeb in police HQs, taunting drug lords to their faces with zero concern about safety. “If I see you again, I’ll kill you,” one baddie vows payback.

Both punk and prosecutor go way back turning into sworn brothers after Ku handpicks Lee, then a convict, as his informant in prison.

Meaning, this is all poised for a VBB (Very Big Breakup), K-flick style. A national presidential election looms. Dirty politics, greed and corruption naturally change best buddies.

Prosecutor Ku is pally with the top contender, a conglomerate supremo whose drug-fuelled son hurts people any damn way he chooses. Particularly one sweet addict-gal, Su-jin (Chae Won-been), who’s friendly with a clean narc cop, Detective Oh (Emergency Declaration’s Park Hae-joon). Oh wants to reel in his own big fish the old-school tail-and-nail way without resorting to an obnoxious intruder like Lee.

While Lee, actually a decent principled guy, is, of course, about to learn that brotherly love with a G-man means squat when a wicked conspiratorial cover-up comes into play.

All good, predictable and entertaining here. But you’re kinda disappointed due to, well, a sort of false advertising.

You’re expecting tense snitch-betrayal drama befitting De Niro ratting out Pacino. But this is basically another fast paced, teamed-up takedown thrill which the Koreans do so well as snitch, dick and chick turn into unlikely little-people allies against big-power villains.

Actor-director Hwang Byeong-gug’s tale posits prosecutors seeming even more iffy than criminals as prosecutor-vs-police standoffs ensue. Interesting. They arrest even presidents over in Korea, don’t they?

But this mistrust of government officials is weakened by a glossed-over, unrealistic portrayal of another segment of society.

The junkies here don’t look at all like junkies. Except for one extended Oldboy-style torturous drug withdrawal sequence in which Lee is set up and doped up into being an addict himself, the stoners look like normal folks by day and zombies by night.

Apparently, the filmmakers partnered with a law enforcement agency to make this pic an anti-drug message.

One question.

Was that agency from Disneyland? (3/5 stars)

Photos: Shaw Organisation