‘Smugglers’ Review: Female Oyster Divers Make Satisfying Action Heroes in Funky Korean Caper
variety.comPeter Debruge Chief Film Critic Back in the 1970s, when Korea was closed to the outside world, locals relied on black market dealers to get their hands on everything from American cigarettes to Ritz crackers.
Though this illicit import racket was run mostly by men, it wouldn’t have been possible without half a dozen uniquely talented women — skilled divers known as haenyeo who fished the loot from the sea.
At least, that’s the fresh girl-power premise floated by action maven Ryoo Seung-wan (“The Battleship Island”) in his snappy, retro-styled crime saga, “Smugglers.” Featuring a funky Lalo Schifrin-style score (from composer Chang Ki-ha) and more wide-collared polyester pantsuits than a “Charlie’s Angels” costume contest, the movie presents itself as a lost relic of less enlightened times, but boasts gender dynamics that are very much of this moment.
In early scenes, the divers earn their living fetching oysters off the ocean floor — or at least these did until factories started dumping toxic waste into the waters.
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