Ready for some drama which surrounds itself with the theme of martial arts and overcoming personal obstacles and impossible odds? Well ‘Punch Lady’ is one of those films which has you cringing and both cheering for the main character as she stands up to her male oppressor.
I couldn’t imagine being a woman who gets physically abused by her husband on a regular basis, but what about a professional fighter who uses all of his tools to inflict ridiculous levels of torture on his wife?
Yeah that’d suck the big one, but I also forgot to mention – he’s a not just a fighter but a kick boxing Champion! So naturally we, as an audience, are left a little disgusted by his actions.
The man’s name is Joo-Chang and his wife’s name is Ha Eun, and Ha Eun has a bad habit of taking all of the punishment not just for her but also her teenage daughter.
Everything changes though. Ha Eun meets up with an old boyfriend who has become a professional fighter. Surprise – he is also going to be fighting her husband! So he’s pumped.
So Ha Eun’s old boyfriend is killed in the ring by her husband and she is furious! She marches up to him during a press conference and verbally tears him to shreds before accepting to fight him in the ring – completely out of rage.
Afterwards, Ha Eun realises she doesn’t stand a chance – she has no fighting skills at all. But when she learns that her old boyfriend left her everything she decides to stick with the fight and finds somewhere to train and give her husband back some of what he gave her.
One Crazy Lady!
Ok, she’s not that crazy, she should stand up for herself and metaphorically spit in the face of her oppressors, but she is in nooo way ready for the monster in front her.
Ha Eun has always been the victim, she’s a small and seemingly weak woman with no experience in fighting. I couldn’t help but cringe though – as she is turned down by every fight school in town before convincing one man to teach her – a man who knows no more than she does about fighting!
This man attends another fight club and passes the lessons down but Ha Eun obviously doesn’t pick up the same lesson he was taught, learning some pretty shitty fighting moves and tactics. The whole movie has a way of setting up the audience for Ha Eun’s big fall, showing no right direction in her training – increasing the ‘cringe factor’.
But it all works as the core of the film is about the ‘never say die’ attitude that Ha Eun uses to step into the ring, using her daughter, friends and personal past as a way of summoning the courage to step up to this monster in the ring.
The movie is very dramatic and is a really serious David vs Goliath style of story, it’s quite motivational to watch.
The Action & Martial Arts
This film is more drama than action, and apart from a few quick clips of Joo-Chang fighting and some training clips, it’s not until the final fight that you see anything.
The fighting is quite realisitc, well mostly. It shows a very sporting / kick boxing style of action in the fights and it seems to be based around the theme of self improvement through martial arts more than action. But it’s a movie most martial arts can appreciate – especially women!
What’s my final verdict? A great drama but not a great action movie. I still recommend checking it out though – it’s a top story told well!
