User reviews

The 'Body Switch' genre in which two very different characters swap identities is very common in American cinema. If you aren't familiar then think of any film from the eighties, where Tom Hanks played an adult with the mind of a teenager in Big. Or Freaky Friday, The Parent Trap, 17 Again…

It seems that South Korean directors love the genre too. So much so that there has been a spate of films where a character takes on the physical identity of someone else, for comic or dramatic effect. (Some recent examples: The Beauty Inside (2015), Masquerade (2012), and Miss Granny (2014). This was pointed out during the recent Korean Cinema conference. My guess is that in a society based on strict Confucian rules, individuality is not desired, so people long to escape these narrow confines and to be someone else. So when a down and out actor takes a suave hit-man's locker key in a bath-house, we're all set for a hilarious comedy where the lives are reversed: the loser (Jaesing) becomes the hit-man and the hit-man (Hyung-wook) starts living the life of the struggling actor who is behind with the rent on his sad-sack loft apartment.

After waking up from his concussion, Hyung-wook is too poor to pay for his medical treatment and has to borrow money from the kindly Rina (Yun-hie Jo), who works as a TV agent. He moves into Jaesing's trash filled apartment. Meanwhile, newly rich Jaesing soon pays off his debts and lives the high life in a luxury penthouse where he discovers a stash of weapons as well as a surveillance camera which is fixed 24 hours on an attractive woman in the apartment above.

The hit man soon endears himself to Rina and her family, and when he starts working at her mother's snack bar he wows the customers with his astonishing knife play. What's funny here is that the tough guy can't understand where he picked up these skills, or how he is able to put his new neighbour in a headlock and throw him to the ground when he tries to start a fight. Whenever someone asks his age he can't keep a straight face, because he looks so much older. Haejin has a wonderfully expressive face: whenever he is told to smile he looks as though he is about to dispatch his next victim.

When he discovers that Jae-sing is an actor (usually as an extra in TV melodramas), he goes to the set and soon impresses the director with his realistic fighting ability. He becomes better at acting than his predecessor, moving from one-line parts to becoming the lead in a corny television drama that ends each episode with ridiculous cliffhangers (if you have ever watched a Korean TV drama, you will know what I mean).

I went in to this film not knowing anything about the story or with any expectations and when I finished watching I was pleasantly surprised. With so much advance hype and spoilers being regularly leaked, its possible to watch a film with no surprises or real excitement. That's a shame, and a good reason to watch international cinema more often.

Luck-key is a remake of the 2012 Japanese film "Key of Life" which is also a good movie to see. I think remakes should bring something new to the story; it should be able to stand alone. This one does.

It's a simple story of an assassin who falls and loses his memory. A poor, unemployed actor swaps identity with him not knowing that he is a criminal. They begin to live out each other's lives.

I love how the lead blossoms in his new life as an actor and the romance that he finds. Yoo Hae-Jin is a fantastic actor and his quiet charm really comes through in this film.

There's action, romance, comedy, and a few really touching moments. What more could you ask for?

I'm a sucker for South Korean movies and this was such a gem to watch. I don't usually do the switcheroo/body swap movies but I'm so glad I watched this.

The running joke that the assassin, Hyung-Wook was 32 years old cracked me up every single time. It never got old. His succeeding at acting and his attempts at smiling was gold. Too many great scenes for me to list but I never wanted a hired killer to succeed so much. Some of the parts with Jae-Sung did drag a bit but this comedy as a whole was enough to overcome it.

It's a must watch.

Anyone who have watch the original one from Japan in 2012 may like or quite dislike this remake. But me, who really love the original one really like this one too!

The original one by Kenji Uchida is perfect, its well-balanced in comedy, crime and drama with its smart story telling. This Korean version just take the main idea and change the whole story quite a bit but its really good and enjoyable. What I love the most is their focus in the comedy, even though the original one have its funny moment too, the Korean version have take the advantages of the body swap situation to make it more funny and hilarious to watch. This movie make me laughing out loud a lot. Its more lighter than the original one but I bet if you watch both, you will like all of them. Enjoy.

A efective comedy. Love how it laughs about the K-Dramas clichés. Yoo Hae- Jin perfomance (as the profesional killer) was my favorite. He is so expressive and is not exactly a hegemonic Korean beauty which makes us love more their role. There was moments that I felt that the character deserved hug.

This is such a funny feel good movie! I have not laughed this hard while watching a movie in years! I believe that everybody in the family can enjoy this one. The acting is great and the romance and comedy is pretty well-adjusted as well. I especially love the scenes that deal with the acting on set! The story is one that is well written, and there are a few twists. It deals with two people who switch life roles and get adjusted to each other's lifestyle in hilarious ways. This movie delivers in a big way! Highly recommend!

In a world full of doom and gloom, this was incredibly refreshing. I was not expecting to laugh or cry, but I got plenty of both.

Hard to see how anyone couldn't love this, the acting was on point, and it's human moments were heart felt and touching.

The economic polarity expressed hit home for me and had me intrigued right off the bat, and I have to say the cast suited the roles quite well. A very broad array of emotions came out of me. Great acting all around - the corniness threw me off from what I'm using to seeing out of Korea but I enjoyed the chuckles.

Korean culture has such an elegant aura. 10 stars!

Terrific cast, direction, and writing with wonderful plot flips, themes, and perfect timing. Leokki manages to be funny, sweet, and warmly charming in one delightful film. Strongly recommended.

At first only the movie starts with song used is just awesome than a little bit slows down while catching and describing all different characters than again it slowly gains entertainment and Ends as OK/Good.

Don't let the display photo fool you.. this is a topnotch A grade comedy action and even a bit romance drama.. that is a absolute must watch!

The depth of the two female and males leads is astounding. You will be entertained, you will laugh, you might even tear up at one part, and you will to the characters plights, and be inspired to make a change. There is always deeper meaning in a movie if you look for it, and that is easily true of this gem of a movie.

The storyline is rich with charm and a plot you haven't seen before.. they simply don't make good movies like this anymore in the USA.. thank you Korea!

Started watching with very less expectation. Ended with recommending bunch of friends with link via Whatsapp. Really a jewel. Ignore all the crap and negative reviews. If you have not seen the original, you will love this one.

Nice heart warming movie that's less known. Although the script is a bit improbable, its has good story that's fun to watch and inspiring, and even if it isn't a high budget with big star casts, this is much better than a lot of highly overrated and boring movies.

You will enjoy this movie. It's really good and amazing from beginning to end. The movie has a good story and meaning.

This was a delightful little film! It had a great pace, the comedy was well done, the story was good, the dialogue was entertaining, and I was rooting for all the characters. I watched this twice in one week cause I watched it alone but wanted my partner to see it too and I enjoyed it immensely both times.

A perfect blend! ! A movie 🎥 for everyone! When you plan to make a movie for everyone it's just like this. Planning to spend some happy time with your friend or girlfriend? It's a going to give you a good memory.