The story revolves around a group of delinquents as they are forced to either join the Taekwondo team or go to jail. Of course they don't want to go to jail, so naturally they join the team. At first they are reluctant, but gradually they begin to like it; at least a few of'em anyway. They make new friends and slowly change their mischievous ways and work for one goal -- to win the Taekwondo tournament. The plot isn't the most original, but it's still interesting; although some parts I felt dragged on a bit.

Overall I liked the movie, but I wouldn't recommend it for action fans; just those that are fans of Korean cinema or want a new Asian flick to add to their list. 7/10

Review: The high school martial arts movie is practically becoming a sub-genre in Asia where films like Wong Jing's My Schoolmate, the Barbarian and Volcano High, a modern comedy-wuxia pien from South Korea are mixing teen comedy and martial arts action inspired by popular comic books. The tone is generally smarmy and the action is outrageous. That's why I expected Spin Kick, another Korean teen martial arts movie about punks taking up Tae Kwon Do, to be just another brainless rumble-fest. Well, I was wrong.

It would be more accurate to call Spin Kick an uplifting sports drama along the lines of Disney's Miracle (2004). In a refreshing turn, martial arts competition is treated in a realistic fashion and the modern struggles of youth to find their identity, take responsibility for their own actions and overcome obstacles are all approached with a solid combination of sincerity and humor.

In Spin Kick, one high school's Tae Kwon Do team is in decline. Once the winning pride of their school, the current team lacks motivation and skill. They hit rock bottom when their new, highly sought after coach quits to work for a competing school and the entire team save for two members are all soundly beaten up by a gang of troublesome high schoolers in a bus brawl. At his wits end, the school principle makes a deal with the gang to have them replace the hospitalized team instead of being expelled. He then reluctantly hires a failed Tae Kwon Do instructor to be the team's new coach. Initially, the team's chances of even qualifying for the finals appear hopeless. Led by the strong-willed Yong-gaek (Kim Dong-wan), the gang members refuse to cooperate while the only original team members remaining consist of a second-stringer with no confidence and Lee Min-kyu, the driven team captain who immediately develops a dislike for the gang that colors his judgment. An embarrassing show of bad behavior during a qualifying trials competition and a humiliating defeat by a rival team nearly destroy the team's floundering spirit and chances for success. But when Yong-gaek is labeled a quitter by the coach, a latent competitive streak fires him up and he uses his natural leadership skills to pull the team together for one shot at victory.

I cannot convey enough how thankful I am that the filmmakers mostly stuck to reality with this film. Competitive martial arts is practiced all over the world by hundreds of thousands of people and yet, there are virtually no movies that deal with this phenomena without resorting to the usual, highly-fictional nonsense. The closest thing Hollywood ever made to a "real" competitive martial arts movie is The Karate Kid and while groundbreaking for its day, it's propped up by the usual contrived conflict of good versus bad and hardly scratches the surface on what has become a lifestyle for many people of all ages, particularly kids.

Unfortunately, Spin Kick isn't family friendly, nor without some exaggeration. It portrays, not everyday people, but crude-talking and stereotypical punks who represent the very antithesis of good sportsmanship and martial arts ethics. Beating up a school sports team and then replacing them to become winners is pretty far-fetched, yet the direction and script are such that the transformation from zeroes to heroes seems plausible. What it comes down to is that the film shows how martial arts proves to have a positive influence on troubled kids and there is definitely truth in this. In addition to the physical discipline and teamwork necessary, the film also makes clear that the true spirit of martial arts is not to seek out a fight at all, but to channel aggression towards a positive, non-violent solution and that's exactly what these unruly kids need the most. While it doesn't seem quite as fun as watching a martial hero go on a revenge-seeking rampage, it is good to be reminded of this in what is still an entertaining movie.

As stated previously, the combat is generally realistic. In competition, fighters are in protective gear and usually spar without the flashy moves usually seen in martial arts films. But the filmmakers take some creative license here and there, the worst case being a wire-enhanced leaping kick by a ballet-trained competitor that's thrown in for laughs. Along with this scene, I also didn't care for a tasteless reference to sexual abuse where the team's second-stringer is only motivated to fight well when reminded of a certain "bad touch." Whether or not Tae Kwon Do itself is well-represented I cannot say. It looks authentic enough and the actors seem convincing. The combat itself doesn't really take center stage until the end and there we see more focused and elaborate choreography with a few good moves thrown in.

Spin Kick is a sporting drama that refuses to take itself seriously and this is a shame as it turns out to be a wasted opportunity to really delve into the real culture of competitive martial arts in Korea. Yet for casual viewers, this may be an advantage as it provides a glimpse into that world while remaining a mostly light-hearted, if predictable film with a mainstream mix of action, comedy and drama.