Greed takes centre stage as a group of people chasing down a bag of cash in this hugely entertaining, occasionally brutal but darkly comic thriller, starring recent Oscar-winner Youn Yuh-jung (Minari).
The film begins with an under-appreciated employee of a sauna finding a bag filled with money. But it soon becomes clear that the bag’s journey to that locker is a complex one, taking in a scam involving a customs official, the madam of a local brothel, a cop in need of a break and an underworld gang led by a boss with a penchant for personally carrying out his vendettas. Based on Japanese author Keisuke Sone’s novel, and channelling the spirit of the Coen brothers and Sam Raimi’s A Simple Plan, Beast Clawing at Straws is furiously paced, visceral entertainment. Playing with timeframes and occasionally dropping clues as to the fate of its characters, the film builds to a satisfying, impressively staged and bloody climax.
