It is one of those Korean films beloved by domestic viewers (it sold more than 6.8 million tickets, making it the second most commercially successful movie of 2006, after The Host) but never properly appreciated by non-Korean critics, not least because it delivers like gangbusters on the score of cinematic entertainment, spiced just right for the local taste. Tazza, written and directed by Choi Dong-hoon, is, like his feature film debut Big Swindle, a fast-paced crime thriller, buttressed by a fantastic cast and a complex but never confusing plot. Initially only looking for a way to recoup his sister's money that he wasted on the table, Goni is gradually drawn into the world of illegal gambling, especially when the sultry Madame Jeong (Kim Hye-soo) sets her eyes on him. We then move several years back in time, and see how Goni became a card-shark under the tutelage of "Commissioner" Pyung (the incomparable Baek Yoon-shik). Professional gambler Goni (means "swan" in vernacular Korean), played by Cho Seung-woo, partnered with the fast-talking Gwang-ryul (character actor Yu Hae-jin), cleans up at an illegal hwatoo game and runs off with bags of money from a gangster.
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