In Beasts Clawing at Straws, money becomes a toxic lifeline – and everyone’s willing to drown to reach it. Kim Yong-hoon’s debut feature is a deliciously tangled noir that pays homage to the Coen Brothers and Tarantino, but with a distinctly Korean sensibility: colder, darker, and more morally ambiguous.

The film opens with a suitcase full of cash found in a sauna locker – and from there, we spiral into the intersecting stories of desperate characters trying to claw their way out of debt, abuse, or betrayal. A struggling restaurateur, a corrupt customs officer, a ruthless femme fatale, and a ruthless loan shark all move across a shifting moral chessboard, where no one is truly innocent and no plan survives contact with greed.

The structure is nonlinear, presented in chapters, each recontextualizing the last. The result is a satisfyingly complex puzzle of betrayals, reversals, and ironic twists that reward close attention. It’s a story where every decision, no matter how small, carries deadly consequences – and where fate always seems one step ahead.

Jeon Do-yeon is particularly mesmerizing as the icy Yeon-hee, bringing gravitas and menace to a role that could have leaned into cliché. The film is also visually tight – shadowy interiors, rain-slicked streets, and cold lighting create a noirish atmosphere that feels both stylish and suffocating.

Yet beneath the plot’s cynicism, there’s a dark humor that keeps the tone buoyant. Like its title suggests, the film is about survival – not dignity or morality, but sheer, raw survival. And while the characters might be beasts, their actions often feel disturbingly relatable in a society where the system seems rigged from the start.

Beasts Clawing at Straws doesn’t seek redemption. Instead, it offers an exhilarating descent into chaos where every character is both predator and prey. It’s a clever, brutal, and deeply entertaining noir that proves South Korea continues to redefine the genre on its own terms.