The practice of a director making several films a year is generally accepted in Hong Kong, where films are made fast and cheap by directors who constantly direct in order to make ends meet. However, it's hard to believe that Korean director Jeong Young-Bae (or any Korean director, for that matter) can manage to have two movies released within two months of each other. This is particularly shocking considering that his first work, Cherry Tomato, was a well intentioned, but emotionally manipulative comedy-drama that flopped at the box office. Fortunately for Jeong,Santamaria has a broader commercial appeal than his directorial debut, thanks to its lead actors and its potential for comedy gold. Fortunately for us, it's also a better film.
This time, Jeong tells the story of a feud between two childhood friends that is reignited when one of them, big-time Seoul homicide detective Il-Do (Jeong Woong-In), decides to return to his hometown with his son to be a traffic cop. His first encounter in town is with reckless taxi driver Ho-Cheol (Seong-Ji Roo), an old friend from his teen years. The two men have a complicated and bitter past; they were best friends until they became romantic rivals, and Il-Do won the heart of the girl they both loved, causing Ho-Cheol to undergo a mental breakdown. So when Ho-Cheol became Il-Do's superior officer in the army a few years later, he took every chance to make Il-Do's life miserable. Over a decade later, the two men take no time to reignite their hatred for one another, with Il-Do constantly targeting Ho-Cheol's taxi and showing up conveniently every time it breaks a traffic law.
...Source