Ki-hoon, a graduate from Police Academy, is an elite homicide detective. He′s married to Soo-hyun and he s naving an affair with Soo-hyun′s friend, Ga-hee. A photo studio owner is murdered and the main suspect is the victims wife, Kyung-hee, a mysterious woman with a tainted air about her. Soo-hvun and Ga-hee get pregnant around the same time, and Ki-hoon becomes more and more confused as he finds himself attracted to enigmatic Kyung-hee. A detective with a complicated private life and an attractive female suspect are time-honored narrative device for detective films. Director Byun′s debut was the impressive and thought-provoking Interview, which explored the conventional ideas about documentary and fiction. He chose mainstream genre for his second feature. The Scarlet Letter is a well-crafted crime detective drama. The investigation falls into a rut as time goes on, and the flashbacks reveal different versions of the truth. The hero′s private life becomes more and more complicated as the film approaches its climax. Of course, a surprise ending awaits. Director Byun sticks faithfully to the grammar of the mainstream genre film but he also attempts an unusual variation. Characterization and emotional ups and downs drive the narrative rather than the clues to the crime. What puts the hero into the comer is not the crime or the obstacles the detective faces in the investigation, but rather his complex private life. The suspects are evocative of the hero′s personal complications and also epitomize the hero′s internal desolation. Ki-hoon′s private life takes on a bigger part as the film moves into the second half. The Scarlet Letter is at once a detective film and a character drama. It′s also a melodrama about the frustration of forbidden desires. The careful and detailed cinematography, first-rate performances and a tight narrative are all impressive in this interesting film. (Huh Moon-yung)