Joo Jin Mo's Love, I'll Take!
Oct 11th, 2007 by asiandramedies

Amidst my boredom and my discontentment with the dramas airing on TV right now I am so happy to stumbled into one of my favorite korean actors recent movie. It is called Sarang also known as A Love. It was released during the Korean Thanksgiving Holiday (Cheosuk).

For people who are so cynical about love, this is one movie you may want to skip. This is all about pure love. A kind of love we always dream of but unfortunately few people actually experiences it. Some may even call it unrealistic but all I can say is that there are things that may sound so improbable to achieve but not too impossible to gain. I also believe that while there are still a lot of women out there who secretly dreams for an ideal man who will forever protect them from harm's away even in the face of death, there are also a lot of men out there that clings to their ideal women who are so innocent, fragile and pure with the long straight hair.
In-jo (Joo Jin Mo, 200 Pounds of Beauty, Queen of The Game) grew up loving Mee-joo (Park Si-Yeon, When Spring Comes, My Girl). They lost contact for about 10 years then meet again as high school students. Since they share common tragic bacgrounds, they made a vow this time to protect each other no matter what the circumstances may be. It took him seven years to confessed his love for her.

One day, when In-jo heard about a loan shark, Chi Kuan who was harrasing Mee-jo and tried taking advantage of her because her mom couldn't pay the loan, he went to talk to Chi Kuan and then stabbed him. It landed him in jail.

After he served his prisontime, he got himself a construction job, did well and became the owner's right hand man. He was given a second chance in life so he buries his one great love in a distant memory but destiny played its hand, he crossed path with Mee-joo again. This time she is the mistress of his very own boss, the very person who gave him a new and better life.

The director of this movie is Kwak Kyung-Taek who also helmed "Friend" in 2001. His movies are known for appealing to the male audience focusing mostly on strong passionate male leads with the hint of violence.

This movie is no different, In-ho is a loyal, intense, passionate man and to my delight Joo Jin Mo was able to portray his role brilliantly.

The story may be too old fashion for some but I love Joo Jin Mo so naturally it's good for me.