Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 15: From first glance, Project Y announces itself as more than just another crime movie. Directed by Lee Hwan, this 2025 South Korean neo-noir gem stars Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo, two rising forces in Korean cinema, as they attempt a daring heist in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district. The setup is ripe with tension, the promise of betrayal, and the seductive darkness of “what if you had no choice but to break all the rules.” But does Project Y deliver on those promises, or does it occasionally get tangled in its own ambition?
Plot & Premise: Greed, Plans, and One Last Score
Mi-sun and Do-kyung are lifelong friends, each trying to claw their way out of desperation. Their dream? “Retirement” from grinding jobs, some peace, maybe a fresh start. But when a financial scam wipes out what little security they had, they discover a hidden store of black money and gold in Gangnam. That becomes the catalyst—they bet everything on “one final high-stakes gamble.” As expected, things don’t go smoothly. Betrayals, corruption, and violence ensue. All set under neon lights, velvet nightclubs, and the sheen (and shadow) of Gangnam’s glamor.
Run time: about 110 minutes. Neo-noir style; high gloss visuals married to gritty storytelling.
What Works: Strengths That Shine Even in Darkness
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Star Power & Chemistry: Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo contribute a lot more than names to the screen. Their chemistry—of loyalty, ambition, and moral grays—is persuasive. They make Mi-sun and Do-kyung not only sympathetic but perilously magnetic. There are times when you find yourself cheering them on, even when you know they are making the wrong decisions.
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Visual & Aesthetic Craft: Lee Hwan doesn’t shy away from beauty. The film alternates between glitzy, high-end backdrops and grim shadows. Nightclubs, street alleys, luxury cars—all rendered with precision. Cinematography (Yoo Young-gi) elevates the film beyond a typical heist movie. There’s temptation in beauty here, both visually and morally.
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Unpredictability & Tension: While the format is familiar, the story isn’t completely predictable. Small surprises, betrayals, and heightened stakes prevent the film from being formulaic. Jarring scenes of violence, perhaps more so than some audiences may like—but they reinforce the danger these characters are incurring.
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Neo-Noir with a Female Focus: Two female protagonists planning a major heist is still less common in Korean crime dramas. The decision to center their friendship, their desperation, their choices—this adds emotional weight beyond just action. It’s not just “heist movie,” it’s “heist movie with scars, regrets, and sisterhood.”
Where the Film Stumbles: Friction in the Gears
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Pacing Issues in Second Half: Many reviews (including those from Letterboxd and other festival watchers) note that the second act drags. Plot threads multiply, and not all are resolved cleanly. For those used to leaner thrillers, the film might feel overburdened. Letterboxd+1
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Overwrought Emotional Beats: The inclusion of melodramatic backstories—familial betrayal, childhood trauma, moral quandaries—is something viewers expect in Korean cinema. But in Project Y, some scenes tilt into excess, especially when juxtaposed with cold violence. Some viewers may wish for more restraint.
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Violence & Disturbing Imagery: The film doesn’t spare you. Brutal torture scenes, scenes involving drowning or mud/tar pits used almost as psychological torture, are hard to digest. These are designed to provoke; they succeed. But there’s a risk of alienating audiences who prefer their thrillers less visceral.
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Unresolved Plot Threads: Some reviews point out that in its ambition, Project Y leaves a few narrative arcs lingering without payoff. Subplots that seem promising at first get abandoned or handled too quickly near the end. It’s not fatal, but it means that after 110 minutes, you might feel you’ve seen more promise than resolution.
What Viewers & Critics Are Saying
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At TIFF 2025, Project Y premiered to generally positive reactions. Many praised the lead actors, particularly their ability to pull off both glamour and grit.
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Some critics on Letterboxd mention the film is “fun in some spots but also feels longer than it should be”. Others say it’s an adrenaline ride with emotional weight.
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Social media buzz has been centred around how Project Y uses the setting of Gangnam not just as a flashy backdrop, but as a character: wealth, corruption, status anxiety. Also comments like “Yu-sohee and Jong-seo get to do some of the best screen stuff they’ve ever done.”
PR Lens: Why Project Y Matters — and How It Has to Lean In
Seen through a PR lens, Project Y is a high-stakes card. It has:
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Festival prestige: Premiered at TIFF and set to appear at Busan International Film Festival. That gives it visibility, both for art film watchers and international distribution interest.
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Cultural export potential: Korean cinema has been on fire globally. This film‘s mix of polished visuals, moral darkness, and female leads makes it well-positioned for streaming platforms hungry for prestige content.
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Star power leverage: Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo have become recognisable in OTT spaces; their pairing generates attention.
What the PR team needs to manage:
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The film’s violent, sometimes disturbing content needs careful positioning. Promotional materials may need content warnings or to make it clear that this isn’t light entertainment.
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The unresolved subplots could be spun as “open to interpretation,” or “more realism in messy endings,” depending on how critics respond.
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Emphasis on cinematography, the fashion, the “Gangnam as a character”, to draw interest from visual art & design communities, beyond just crime-thriller lovers.
Final Verdict: Fireworks & Fragments
If Project Y were a gem, it’d be an uncut diamond one: its facets are glossy as can be, but you can sense the rough edges on your fingers. It misses some of the beats sometimes, but when it doesn’t—but when betrayal strikes, when desperation clings in the air, when the glamour becomes toxic—it strikes hard.
For heist-thriller, crime noir, and emotionally resonant storytellers fans, Project Y is an absolute must-see. If everything having a neat bow is more your thing, or you don’t care for movies that push violence and moral murk, this one may push your patience.
But it’s that type of film that cinema requires: one that provokes, unnerves, entraps, and haunts. And despite its own shortcomings, Project Y is not easy to forget.
