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 S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Jipuragirado japgo sipeun jimseungdeul" or "Beasts That Cling to the Straw" or "Beasts Clawing at Straws")

 

Directed by Yong-hoon Kim
South Korea 2020

 

A Luis Vuitton bag stuffed full of cash sends a group of hard-luck lowlifes on a desperate chase for the fortune in this pitch-black neo-noir crime thriller. Fish-mongering gangsters, a greasy cop, an “innocent” gym cleaner, a young prostitute, her wife beater of a husband, her ruthless boss and her clueless boyfriend all violently scheme to get their hands on the elusive bag. First time director Kim Yong-hoon’s witty thriller is a beautifully constructed puzzle that with each double-cross, the pieces fall into place. Starring Jung Woo-sung from Asura: City of Madness and Jeon Do-yeon, award winner in Cannes for her lead role in Secret Sunshine.

***

Joong-man, stuck in a thankless job and forced to care for his ailing mother, finds a huge bag of money left in a sauna. Tae-young, a customs officer in debt to criminal Mr. Park, plots with one of Park's henchmen to run a lucrative scam on a "sucker" attempting to flee the country. Mi-ran, an escort with an abusive husband, finally sees a way out when one of her clients offers to murder him in exchange for a cut of his life insurance policy. The three characters all cross paths with dangerous people and get themselves into increasingly deeper trouble as they attempt to cheat their way towards the ultimate payout.

The film is separated into six chapters: Debt, Sucker, Food Chain, Shark, Lucky Strike and Money Bag.

Excerpt from Wikipedia located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: January 25th, 2020

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Review: Artsploitation - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

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Bonus Captures:
Distribution Artsploitation - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:48:45.208        
Video

2.39:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 24,004,890,747 bytes

Feature: 22,224,076,800 bytes

Video Bitrate: 21.55 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

DTS-HD Master Audio Korean 3377 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3377 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit)
Dolby Digital Audio Korean 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / DN -27dB
Dolby Digital Audio Korean 448 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / DN -27dB
Subtitles English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Artsploitation

 

2.39:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 24,004,890,747 bytes

Feature: 22,224,076,800 bytes

Video Bitrate: 21.55 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• Trailer (01:11)
Artsploitation Trailers;
 • "Benjamin" (02:13)
 • "Happy Times" (01:49)
 • "The Prince" (01:46)
 • "Dead Dicks" (01:23)y


 Blu-ray Release Date: December 14th, 2020
 Standard Transparent Blu-ray Case inside slipcase

Chapters 7

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Artsploitation Blu-ray (December 2020): Artsploitation Films' release of Yong-hoon Kim's "Beasts Clawing at Straws'' is housed on a single-layer Blu-ray disc. The 2.39:1 aspect ratio is accompanied by a modest bitrate. The film has a stylistic flare, with many shots showing complicated lighting and camera-work, which this Blu-ray showcases quite well. Blacks and Shadows could have benefited from a somewhat stronger contrast ratio, but this is certainly nothing to sneeze at.

NOTE: We have added 20 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

Artsploitation's Blu-ray features three separate audio tracks, all available from the setup menu and all in the original Korean langauge. There is a 24-bit DTS-HD Master audio option (the best option of the three, for those with the correct equipment/setup). There are also 2 Dolby Digital options (in either 5.1 or 2.0). The film relies on a constant tension building, and the DS-HD Master 5.1 track creates an atmosphere of anxiety, however so subtle. The music is thanks to Nene Kang. There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'Free' Blu-ray from Artsploitation Films.

Artsploitation Films Blu-ray of "Beasts Clawing at Straws" is a little short on bonus features, only including the film's trailer and trailers for 4 other releases from the label.

"Beasts Clawing at Straws" (based on the 2011 Japanese novel by Keisuke Sone) is a fun thriller, despite the old bag o' money MacGuffin. While this Blu-ray from Artsploitation films is more or less a bare bones affair, the movie is 'the thing', and this is well worth your time, especially for fans of crime films.

Colin Zavitz

 

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Box Cover

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Bonus Captures:
Distribution Artsploitation - Region 'A' - Blu-ray


 


 

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