I need time to take in what I've seen - A review to follow soon!
I didn't want to rush in and just write about this film, I was on an emotional high from it, I just wanted to let my thoughts and feelings even out.
First - I'd like to thank Julie and Mr. Dulac for highly recommending this film.
Second - I'm still shocked that I've managed to miss this film, considering I thought I kept in tune with the Eastern films. But no, this one had slipped by!
The film simply blew me away, from start to finish! It had everything I've come to expect and love from a Korean (South) film. From the action to the script, the violence to the humour, the darkness to the light. Everything worked for me, at every point I was hooked.
You may think you know where the film will go and how it will play out. You think it's about drugs, then it takes a darker route. It makes you wonder at the end as well, and because it's a Korean film, there is every chance they will suckerpunch you, I was never 100% sure how it would end.
I suppose some will moan it's a typical revenge film, cliched and formulaic, all been done before! It has and will be done again many times over. Yet I bought into the characters, the villains, the twists of the plot, and the action. The characters had depth, I cared for Cha Tae-sik, his heartbreaking past, his connection with Jeong So-mi. I cared for Jeong So-Mi (the little girl), together on screen they are brilliant. And when it all goes south, his journey of revenge is fantastic to watch. The fights are brutal, fast and bloody. The final showdown I thought was superb, after the film I watched it again!
It's not just action either, the emotional ending is superb and does bring a tear to the eye. I just didn't want it to end!
I think this is one of my favourite Eastern films now.
Outstanding!
Looking forward to more :) as you may have seen, this is my #3 fave so I always take great pride when people say they like it, haha :)
I've never been able to find much on the director and it still seems like he has no new movies in the works according to IMDB. the only knews I can find is the Dimension films have a remake planned...
ugh, remake, nooooooo
Just tell remind yourself there's nothing they can do take the original away from us. :)
@Mr Dulac and @Julie Thanks for the recommendation, it was a fantatsic film, now I've selpt on it, I'm going to write my review.
As for the remake I look at it that way as well, if they get it right we have two versions of the film, if they mess it up, we always have the original. 9 times of 10 though they mess it up!
I absolutely loved this film. I thought it was going to be a typical revenge flick, but it was much more than that and the ending was so touching it made me tear up.
Glad you liked it so much, Mike!
Coincidentally I just received my copy of The Chaser on Blu-ray in the mail :-) . If you haven't watched that one yet check it out. I can no longer keep all these Letterboxd convos straight in my head, so I know it's quite possible that it was mentioned in the original convo that you've already seen it lol
I don't know if I could re-watch The Chaser =)
I'm looking forward to putting my friends through the emotional ringer by making them watch it for the first time.
I find The Man From Nowhere a tad overrated myself. I still love it, though. Maybe I'll have to watch it again.
Also, director Lee's first film, Cruel Winter Blues, is much better. Check it out!
I have seen the Chaser - it's a superb film. Along with I Saw The Devil, another one which just blew me away.
@D That would be great fun. I might work up the balls to watch it again if I were able to introduce it to others, good idea =)
@Richard I can absolutely understand that. There's nothing really groundbreaking here. We've all basically seen this story before. But this one, for me, is like 40% casting, 40% action sequences, and 20% emotional gut punch because of cultural context. And I love 100% of it =) I will try to track down Cruel Winter Blues!
Loved this film, found it on Xbox Lovefilm, which has a surprisingly good World Cinema section when you consider how bad the other genre sections are.
Awesome film. Thanks to the people who told Mike about it, and in turn to Mike for lending it me. A very happy surprise.
And also yes. Screw the remake. Just make more people aware of this one.
Martin - once you get through the Vengeance Trilogy I will lend you the Chaser and I Saw the Devil......
Remake?! Really? Oh dear, another one bites the dust. I was never a fan of Chaser as it played out too many times and was just too long. had they snipped down the running time then I am sure I would have loved it.
This film, however, deserves the running time and I had no problem with it, which surprised me as I am not fan of slow films, generally.