For the first hour, this is an immensely entertaining scam movie that purrs like a well-fed pussy cat on a warm soft bed. Everyone’s happy. The decent but deceitful Kims, who have conned their way into plum jobs – chauffeur, housekeeper and part-time children’s tutors. And the family they are working for, the extremely well-off Parks – mum, dad, teenage daughter and ‘Red Indian’-obsessed little son – in their spacious, prize-winning architect-designed minimalist home.
The Kims even spare a thought or two for the poor chauffeur and housekeeper they have displaced. Yet, as good as they are at their new roles, it is based on fibs. They know life’s precariousness, and that their good fortune may not last. The little ‘Red Indian’ quickly notices that the new staff, although apparently unknown to each other, all smell the same. And Mr Park has noticed that Mr Kim smells like people on the Metro. (Mrs Park can’t say, as she has never had to travel by train.)
