Helpless is a 2012 Korean movie that somewhat got lost in the wash of a number of other Asian mystery/thriller/crime films that year. It's a low key tale that takes its time going from point A to point B, but, it is a pretty effective story that makes for an entertaining & worthwhile watch IMO.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Story: Successful veterinarian takes a liking to a pretty kind girl who frequents his animal clinic. They date, fall in love, and decide to get married. On the way to meet his parents, the young bride-to-be suddenly vanishes in broad daylight after receiving a seemingly innocuous phone call about some credit debt. Distraught and fearful that his love has been abducted, or worse, our young male protagonist sets out to search for her and find out what happened.
The vet who's searching for his missing fiancé is played by Lee Seon-Gyun. He does a really nice job of portraying the desperate and "helpless" man trying to find his love. He'll do whatever he needs to solve the mystery using his smarts & determination, and, by roping in various friends & acquaintances who can help him along the way. The friends & acquaintances who help him in the supporting roles all give solid performances (particularly so in regards to his Vet assistant, and, even more so in regards to the washed up former police detective friend of his).
As the efforts to solve the fiancés disappearance unfold, it becomes more and more clear that this woman was not who she claimed to be. The fiancé is played by Kim Min-Hee, and I've never really been a huge fan of her work in the past. I never hated her performances either, but she's always struck me as a somewhat distant or disengaged person (and actress). She absolutely rocks this role though, and makes for one downright (potentially) scary antagonist. Most of her scenes are smartly done via flashbacks and various speculations & re-imaginations, so you never get to know who her true character until the pieces of the story puzzle eventually start to fall in place. In the meantime, she gets a lot of juicy set pieces to act out (in which she is often incredibly effective).
As the story unfolds, it's just a matter of following along to figure out what is exactly going on with all the characters involved, and where the story is headed as a result. Can the Vet find/save his fiancé??? Is the fiancé really evil??? What will happen in the end??? Etc.
There you have it. Frankly, I think this flick is a bit underrated and under appreciated...I ain't saying it's great or anything, but, I did find it to be a very watchable and entertaining diversion. It's worth checking out!
A solid 7 out of 10 stars!
