Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)

Barking dogs never bite: unpolished, leisurely, often funny, sometimes dull korean comedy. I’m sure a lot of the comedy got lot in translation, but this dark comedy about Dog killers had me laughing a few times. But while there are quite a few humorous moments,  too often the film just seems to be marking time, and all the leading characters seem likable but muted. The humor is often realistic, which jokes are more “one off” than building off each other. The director throws in quite a bit of social commentary. The obvious point is that Korean society cares more about dogs than their poor.

Highpoint has to be the “Boiler Jim” story, and the heroine’s rescue of the dog at the end: Other good bits:

•  The heroine expects to get large sum from “Granny” but instead she only get dried radishes
•  Several clerks approvingly watch a Chinese women fight a bank robber
•  The absurd story of a man who get drunk, leans over the tracks to vomit, and gets hit by a train
• A man tries to dispose of a barking dog, but finds something or someone always frustrating him.

Again, probably a lot of the humor probably went over my head, since comedy is often about violating societal norms. And what may be considered outrageous or Kooky behavior in Korea might not be in the USA. he film's Korean title is satirically named after the 1872 novel A Dog of Flanders, a European pet story that is very popular in parts of East Asia.