A lot of reviewers have mentioned the "social commentary" in this movie. Oh it's great because of the social commentary. Social commentary! Well that may be the subtext but the reality is that anyone who showed up at the gas station with a gun or even a knife would have gotten the best of these idiots in about two seconds. Better yet, anyone over 5'4, 150# could have just knocked any of them over. There's absolutely nothing scary about any of these characters who are either vainly tossing their hair around and playing bar 80s techno, misunderstood little boys lashing out because they miss their parents, hurting inside because their daddy didn't support their desire to be an artist, or preparing for a Karate Kid remake by screaming at everyone. It seemed like the actors had watched too many American movies and were trying to imitate characters they'd seen before. At times, it was so obvious it was embarrassing. One guy just had a long stick and yelled loudly which intimidated everyone. Anyone could have easily grabbed it from him and game over. One guy tried to pull the thousand yard stare on everyone which got uncomfortable because he's got nothing to back it up. The dumb blond guy with long hair is not at all intimidating but he's playing the unpredictable crazy role. Never know what this got will do. Ooooooooh. This movie seemed to be attempting A Clockwork Orange mixed with Warriors but in Korean. The main reason it wasn't successful was because none of their "hostages" seemed to put up any real fight. The owner of the place kept the money hidden even after being "tortured." None of these guys appeared tough or even scary. Nobody really tried to escape and they even intimidated the police successfully. With no weapons? Not bloody likely. It's beyond silly. The reason why a movie like Clockwork worked was because these were really intimidating guys who weren't afraid to kill or rape. They were genuinely not all there and showed that they could win in a fight. The gang in this movie win their fights with virtually no resistance and they do not come off as tough at all. There's nothing to recommend them and you are rooting against them throughout. Anti-heroes are perfectly ok but these guys didn't even have enough substance to be considered anti heros. The movie was too long and way too repetitive and boring. Nothing really happens and their lame attempt to inject humor into the situation was an utter failure. Social commentary or not, there are way better ways to show the disillusionment of Korean youth wrought by the Asian Financial Crisis. You would have a better time visiting a gas station than watching this movie.

4 disaffected young men hijack a petrol station. They kidnap customers and hold them hostage.There is a fair bit that can be criticised in this film but I enjoyed it immensely.The comedy is utterly amoral- I kept finding myself laughing at things I shouldn't be laughing at. The main characters behave very badly on the whole but I found myself sympathising with them immensely, even before the flashbacks explaining their motivation(s).The acting and production is very enthusiastic if not overly polished- looks like they had a blast making this.Criticisms-The production values are pretty low for a Korean flick. Some aspects of some scenes seem rather gratuitous- like all the motorbike stunts when the delivery boys turn up. The plot gets a little silly at times. Clearly in real life they would have been blown to smithereens a few times with all the petrol spilled.This movie was a massive hit for me, it takes a lot of chances and lacks a little polish but is all the better for breaking so many rules.

Nice movie, so funny. Recommended. (You may need to learn Korean culture to have the jokes in full effect)My wife is Korean and she is explaining why the scene is so funny.Get Korean friend and watch it together.One Two Three Five Six Seven Eight Nine TenCheers, SVBy submitting this comment you are agreeing to the terms laid out in our Copyright Statement. Your submission must be your own original work. Your comments will normally be posted on the site within 2-3 business days. Comments that do not meet the guidelines will not be posted. Please write in English only. HTML or boards mark-up is not supported though paragraph breaks will be inserted if you leave a blank line between paragraph.

"Attack the Gas Station" (Juyuso seubgyuksageun) is an exuberant, anarchic tour de force from post-punk Korean director Sang-Jin Kim (Gangster Lessons, Kick the Moon). These four kids who are really strong just kick the crap out of a gas station, and then they hold the staff hostage and spend the rest of the day running the place. But instead of putting the money in the register, they just keep it!This is a great movie, and a great idea for how to make a lot of money by pretending you work in a gas station. This is something everybody should do.4 stars.