Special Delivery (2022) [Fantasia 2022] 

This year’s viewings of films from Fantasia starts off strong with a film about a North Korean defector who works as a delivery driver for a company that handles what the post office and other delivery companies will not handle. One a run where she is supposed to pick up a father and son and bring them to the port, she ends up with the kid whose father has been murdered for what was in his possession and now those who killed him are after his child. 

Written and directed by Dae-min Park, this action-drama-car chase film starts off with a bang and keeps up a good pace almost throughout, only slowing down to allow the viewer to know who the characters are. This is a very well written and directed action film that makes the most of its situations and its use of cars. There is a ton in here and most of it is either fun or made to bring in the viewer and make them care about the central characters. The good guys are not 100% good, by far, and the bad guys are quite evil. This leads to an interesting dynamic in how things go for the lead and the kiddo in her care. 

Now, before getting into the performances on screen by people, let’s talk cars! There’s a bunch here and none of them are race cars or particularly souped-up vehicles. There is a somewhat surprising number of Kias in this, which makes sense as the brand is from South Korea where the film takes place, but much like with American films and their close up of Chevy and Ford logos, this film has a few shots that clearly show the Kia logo, something that was almost puzzling at first (then it totally made sense). The film also uses a few falling apart vehicles that don’t all have their logos on them, but car enthusiasts will be able to id them pretty quickly. The mix here is interesting, as mentioned there aren’t many performance cars, but each car driven by the lead ends up performing quite well. 

Speaking of the lead, Eun-ha is played by So-dam Park who is both tough while having a softer side. She’s a tough lady who has seen a lot in her life, so she is played that way, but also allowed a bit of vulnerability and personality. The performance by So-dam Park here is the one to look for, she’s great and she really brings the viewer in and along for the, sometimes literal, ride. Playing the kid she ends up caring for, Seo-won, is young actor Hyun-jun Jung who does fantastic work here. He really brings the emotion to the part and adds a bit of humor to the film in a few spots where it’s quite needed. This kid’s sense of timing is excellent. The rest of the case it also quite good, even when sometimes they almost feel like caricatures of their characters, it all works in this setting. 

The other folks needing to be noted here are the car stunts department who did absolutely excellent work here, those stunts, that driving are so good, they almost make the film by themselves. The cinematography and the editing here also give a great assist in those scenes and the rest of the film, giving it great images, the proper framing and lighting, and the right editing to keep things easy to follow and peppy at the same time. 

Special Delivery is a win across the board with fun driving sequences, a story that keeps the viewer involved, strong performances, great driving stunts, and fast-paced action that is visible and easily enjoyable.