3-Iron movie review & analysis (2004)

A turning point in Kim Ki-Duk’s artistic career might be seen in 3-Iron. When work begins with a fantastic camera and sound, as well as a powerful script and rhythm, one should expect such a movie if it is done after a masterpiece like “Four Seasons,” which introduced us to experienced director Kim Ki-Duk.

Our character explores people’s houses with his announcements in the opening few minutes of the movie to find out about their absence. He enters a house, but unlike other thieves, his behavior is very normal and peaceful; in fact, he only supports his daily necessities by entering people’s houses. Not only does he not harm anything, but he also repairs things that are broken, wears their clothes, collects and washes their clothes, and eats their food. He also repairs a toy gun for the child. And yet, the question of how a boy with no money might afford a camera and a motorcycle arises.

The number of tracts indicates that the boy worked there or was merely in charge of delivering them. If the movie is watched carefully, this is just one example of the dubious questions it raises. Every time the boy visits someone’s house, we can see that he takes a photo of himself with the image of the home’s owner. In reality, he does this so that he will have a memory of his interactions with the family members and remember that he was never the owner of that life.

The camera is placed in the frame to give the impression that we are the recipients of these photos and are acting as witnesses to movements. The main story starts when he enters that luxurious house, where a woman lives. From the photos on the wall and inside the magazine, and even from the photographer’s house, it is clear that she, unlike the boy, wants to be seen, but when she notices the boy’s entrance, she does not show any reaction, and instead, she watches the boy’s movements, and his attention is drawn to them until the girl gets involved and informs the boy. Then, after that encounter and the happenings in that house, both of them decide to continue on the path with each other, affecting each other’s lives.

Scale is one of the most important aspects of the movie. What kind of guide does the scale provide for the witness (viewer)? In fact, the scale reveals information about the characters’ presence and how they affect those around them. When the boy steps on the scale for the first time, a frame of the scale with the number 110 shown is presented. Kim Ki-duk is not a person who shows an image very easily and passes it by very easily, especially if the image is repeated (repairing a child’s toy gun) and repeated again (repairing the scale by the woman).

When a boy is being watched moment by moment by a woman, the scale should reflect that number. These scale frames are intended to help us understand the presence and impact of that person on other people’s lives. After weighing themselves, they both fix the scale, demonstrating their efforts to blend into the background and avoid being noticed by others. The connection between golf balls and individuals is another key factor.

The environment of the characters in our novel is comparable to the golf games in the movie. They are all prodded like balls to make changes in their lives. A young couple who are constantly considering ending their relationships with these others and a husband who wants to strengthen his relationship with his wife. Although they strike blows and make efforts, they fail because of factors that they themselves create for others. Many of these elements may be seen throughout the movie if we pay close attention. Every time a shot is taken in golf, the ball runs into a barrier. When there is no obstruction at first in the movie and the wife moves the ball on the ground, the husband’s foot abruptly prevents it from moving.

The first element in their universe is thus established. Sometimes the ball cannot move because of the wire tied to it, and other times it cannot move because of people’s bodies (there are scenes where the boy or the husband struck each other with a ball), indicating that there was a conflict between the two parties that resulted in these issues. The woman confronts the boy’s blows when she recognizes the boy made a mistake in his change and how it is harming her and others in the middle of the movie. The boy is then beaten by the boxer (agent) in the following scene and begins to strike angrily before one of his kicks knocks the ball out of bounds and into the direction of a girl in a car. But how can someone who feels so responsible for other people’s stuff and who cares about it, no matter how little or how much, so easily absolve themselves of responsibility for the girl’s death (or injury)?

The most significant topic under discussion in the movie is evolution, namely, how our characters wish to evolve from being present to being absent. The scale that depicts the stages of their change was discussed at the beginning of the text, but among them, one of the most attractive components is the girl’s images on the walls, provided that she leaves her complete picture on the wall. Instead, she rips the picture into pieces, arranges them haphazardly, and then rehangs the pieces on the wall.

Now that the girl is evolving appropriately (without endangering herself or others), it is clear from the picture that she still exists, despite it being difficult to see her. In the second part of the movie, we witness the girl’s attempts to imitate the boy, including his washing his clothing in his manner, posing for pictures while holding signs, and—most significantly—her decision to stop speaking. The lovers cease speaking and begin to physically connect with one another at this point in the movie to get ready for their withdrawal from the crowd, which is a fantastic evolution.

After the boy is put in jail, they are both left alone, but their isolation prompts them to get ready to meet an absentee like himself. This is why the boy in the cell makes the jail guard work as a training exercise for himself, staying out of sight for the first time with the assistance of the others (window bars). But the second time, he gets past the person’s narrowness (not being able to see 180 degrees in either direction), but he still falls short of realizing that he should also not be by himself as the presence condition progresses. That’s how he succeeds.

He develops to the point where even we are unable to comprehend his presence. On the other hand, the girl is training for her transformation into the guy until she no longer feels his presence by returning to the homes where she was with the boy and keeping his memory alive. When the guy is finally released from prison, he returns to the city in a dignified manner.

As soon as he arrives, he goes to the homes where he had previously been present and takes some action to make their presence impossible to detect. In order to avoid being reminded of anyone, he returns to the photographer’s home and takes the woman’s picture off the wall. So that even they stay away from the pictures’ eyes, he goes inside the boxer’s home and takes the eyes out of the pictures.

In order to make us share the experience of not being seen, the camera enters the man’s home with a subjective viewpoint. The girl and boy finally cross paths in a wonderful sequence. There is a space between the boy and the girl as he re-kisses her from outside the frame, yet he departs the house a short while afterward. The couple kisses, forgetting the past and sharing the experience of life without the other person’s presence, as the boy’s shadow appears in the girl’s picture frame.

In the final phase, they each begin their own world and step onto the scale together. When they do, we can see that the number displayed in the scale’s frame is zero, indicating that there is no weight present. As a result, the presence of both of them is finally reduced to zero. It is, however, time for our golfing spirits to live in their own distinct universe at this point.

3-Iron ending explained:

They are released once the autopsy reveals cancer and no property has been stolen. Once Sun-hwa departs with her husband, he pays the police to beat Tae-suk as payback. After fighting the officer, Tae-suk is ultimately taken into custody.

What is the meaning of 3 iron?

noun. Golf. a club with an iron head the face of which has more slope than a midiron but less slope than a mashie iron; mid-mashie.

Why is it called 3-Iron?

Jae Hee plays a young vagabond in this South Korean-Japanese international co-production movie who falls in love with a battered housewife (Lee Seung-yeon). The name of the movie comes from a particular kind of golf club that features substantially in the story.

is 3-iron a good movie?

A tender and poignant romance from Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter… And Spring’s director Kim Ki-Duk, according to the website’s critical consensus. According to 28 reviews and a score of 72 out of 100 on Metacritic, the movie has “Generally good reviews.”