Windstruck is a romantic comedy from South Korea. The movie is closely linked to the 2001 hit My Sassy Girl and because it includes the same director Gwak Jae-Yong and leading female Jeon Ji-Hyeon, there was a lot of hype surrounding this movie. However, while My Sassy Girl is considered to be an innovative and delightful movie, Windstruck was not nearly as successful. While I cannot personal compare and contrast (I have not seen My Sassy Girl, just heard a lot about it), I still enjoyed Windstruck. I thought it was a very entertaining movie with a lot to offer viewers, including plenty of comedy, romance, drama, and action.

The main reason that I really enjoyed about this movie was the main characters. Jeon Ji-Hyeon plays Gyeong-Jin. She's far from your typical girl. On the outside, she is a very strong person with a kick ass attitude. She works as a cop, cleaning up the mean streets of the Red Light District facing hoodlums from purse snatchers to gangsters. Of course, inside she's a shy timid girl looking to be loved by a kindhearted sweet boy. And that boy happens to be Jang Hyeok as Myung-Woo. On the outside, he is very different from Gyeong-Jin, as his personality is a lot more timid. He is high school teacher. But another reason that makes the two so different, is that Gyeong-Jin is portrayed in such a macho tough manner, while Myung-Woo seems more like the typical damsel in distress. (This reversal of typical leading roles adds to the movie's charm.) However, he does try to act like the "man" and take care of Gyeong-Jin, but it quickly becomes apparent that she doesn't need it. Together they make quite a pair, getting into several cute and funny situations.

As for the story, the story begins with the two meeting for the first time. Gyeong-Jin was hot in pursuit of purse snatcher and Myung-Woo being a very good guy was also chasing after the criminal. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your outlook), Gyeong-Jin mistook him for the criminal. Needless to say, he gets arrested, beat up, and made the fool. The story continues when their path crosses again one night when they are forced to work together on a volunteer neighborhood patrol watch. It is during this night when the cuteness of the movie really begins to unfold. The two main character's relationship is defined and it is quite fun to watch. The movie becomes a myriad of cute, silly, and playfully fun scenes that give you a chance to really get to know the characters.

Of course, the movie is not without its faults. While I did enjoy Windstruck's cute, silly, and fun approach to a romantic comedy, I didn't fall in love with the film. The drawback is that when the movie tries to delve away from its silliness and cuteness, it becomes a little too wishy-washy. A few parts the movie tried to be a little too serious and it really didn't fit with the overall tone at all. Another slight difficulty I had with this movie was some of the situations that the two lovebirds found them selves in were a bit far from reality. Of course, there are not many of these "out of place" scenes to really ruin the feature.

Overall, Windstruck is a cute and fun movie with a pair of characters that are very easy to like. While the approach the story takes doesn't always seem really realistic and sometimes a bit farfetched, it is easy to get lost in the relationship that is developed between the two main characters. The movie's approach, with a touch of comedy, romance, drama, and action, has a bit of everything for everyone.

The DVD
This DVD review is for the single disc Hong Kong version of Windstruck. Currently, there are also two Korean DVD versions, a two disc set and a four disc limited edition box set.

Video:
The video is given in an anamorphic 1.85:1 ratio widescreen color format. The picture quality is quite good, providing a clear and crisp picture. There are very little visual distortions in the image.

Audio:
There are three audio options includes in this release. They come in the forms of Korean DTS6.1 ES, Korean DD5.1 Surround EX, and Cantonese DD5.1 Surround EX. I do not have a DTS enabled setup, but I can vouch for the 5.1 tracks. Both sounded very good, providing audible dialogue, with sound effects and music coming off rich and vibrant. Dialogue tends to remain in the forward channels, while the sound effects and music tend to take advantage of surround sound setup. The language options also include subtitles in Chinese and English.

Extras:
There isn't much in terms of special features with this release. What is supplied includes theatrical trailers for the movie (teaser and international trailer), a photo gallery, and cast and crew biographies.

Final Thoughts:
Windstruck is a movie that encompasses a lot of different genre, by putting the two main characters in a number of cute, fun, and sometimes odd situations. The movie itself is quite delightful and the performances from the leading roles are done very well. This movie is a great romantic comedy that is really easy to enjoy.