John Cho (2nd from left) and Jun Sung Kim (3rd from left) in West 32nd

There’s murder! There’s mystery! There’s lawyers! There’s betrayal! All of this and more encompass the noir-esque indie drama, West 32nd - but don’t be fooled by the exclamation points, the movie is quiet with moral despair and yes, it will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

John Kim (John Cho) is a young ambitious lawyer climbing his way to the top of his firm by taking on a pro bono case that involves Lila (Grace Park from Battlestar Gallactica fame) and her little brother.

Grace Park in West 32nd

The case eventually leads Kim to the Korean underground crime world of Manhattan, with the tough-as-nails, gritty Asian wannabe Godfather, Mike (Jun Sung Kim) holding the reigns.

As Kim gets deeper and deeper into this world of corruption, he eventually learns how to play the game himself and at the same time, getting reacquainted with his culture in an unconventional way.

Director Michael Kang picks up where Better Luck Tomorrow left off. He smudges the stereotypically clean image of Asian America and does it with finesse. Through visually stimulating shades of deceit, Kang, along with screenplay co-writer, Edmund Lee that is smart and edgy (that word is so overused).

I can relate to Cho’s character; being disconnected to your culture in way that makes you feel uncomfortable when you are neck deep in it - now just imagine if there’s murder involved.

What I liked: Sure, the Asian American element is alive and well, but in this film, it’s more of a secondary character. Everything else is an excellent murder mystery. This is how it should be. No Hello Kitty. No martial arts. Just pure unadulterated murder, mystery, twists, turns, gun fights, alcohol, cringe-worthy jerks, tragedy and all that other fun stuff.

The characters: Cho shows us that he is more than Harold from the Harold and Kumar franchise. He shows versatility and is carving a place in Asian American history as an esteemed actor of our generation (did I mention he’s going to be Sulu in the upcoming “Star Trek” movie?). Park goes for the gusto with her portrayal of the sweet girl next door with emotional nicks and scratches that play a big role in the choices she makes - whether they are moral or not. Then there’s Jun Kim - he plays a great a**hole. I was intimidated by his character, but at the same time I wanted to bash his head in. If he made me think such violent thoughts, he must be doing something right.

What I didn’t like: Honestly, I don’t know. I liked the film - and I am just not saying that because of the Asian American bias. It’s just a good movie. It’s a noir-ish mystery for the 21st century. If there is something I have to complain about - I have to say that…ummmm…I don’t know. Oh wait - I don’t like blood. There’s some blood in this. And what’s the deal with that unmentioned human trafficking stuff? Those things freak me out. I also didn’t like Cho’s hair. It was like a Ken coif that has been saturated with mousse. Oh yeah - I would’ve loved to see more of Jane Kim. She mesmerizes me.

My rating: A (it’s not an A+ because of the aforementioned dislikes)

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