If you liked the departed or the godfather, you'll love this mob movie. The acting and writing was fantastic for all characters, which is rare. If you're turned off by the fact that it's a korean/foreign movie, don't be because you'd be missing out on great cinema. It's not a super fast paced action movie that western audiences might expect because there are very few guns in this movie. Even so, it was tense and suspenseful because you're fearing for the main character due to his undercover nature. This movie is filled with twists and turns, coupled with a good plot. The ending was absolutely perfect if somewhat predictable. The entire movie, I kept thinking to myself "I really hope the main character does so and so for the ending" and he did, which was pretty satisfying. Overall a great movie that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys mob/crime films.

While I admit the overall idea is great, the execution is not and this is obvious from the very first scenes. The acting is overdone by the main characters, at least for the crime/thriller movie. Maybe it would've been great as a musical :). Anyways, there are serious plot holes: man with a knife kills a person with a gun in a rather naive hand to hand combat although the person with a gun notices the killer slowly approaching from 5+ meters away; ilogical assumptions on the police database, atrocious security setup around the people that are very powerful and have everything to lose, lack of any skills by pretty much anyone (marksmanship and/or combat skills) etc. Fighting scenes are laughably naive, the script feels empty and the timing of events is always too convenient and feels obviously set-up, even for a movie. The final result is that the "New world" is kind of boring.

If you choose to look at this movie, it might certainly be for it cast: many of the actors doesn't need, in fact, an introduction! They play their part great despite the evidently stereotypes.This movie is certainly not the first presenting the manicheism mob/cop; that's why the pitch looks like the Chinese "Infernal Affairs". Furthermore, the Americans and Japanese already made a remake, so why not the Korean? But finally, if half of the movie looks quite like a remake, the second parts is the twisted one and the most interesting: on the technical part, you will love the use of the zoom, the great sound especially in the fights, the use of exterior, rain and lights... ANd, on the scenarist part, you will grow attach to charisma not of one but all characters.So love it/ hate it but give a chance to this movie because it's worth your time!

I will start with my only complaint: The subtitles were not very good, i think. I think the subtitles were dubbed over to make it really easy to understand the movie. I would rather longer reading and more depth than very easy reading and likely not getting the entire story.The Story was awesome! The acting was awesome! The plot was Awesome! The acting was so intense, the directing was so good, the flow of the movie was so well done, that you could probably watch this movie with no subtitles and understand the entire movie. There were just a few confusing parts that needed better translation, but even that did not hurt the movie. Intense is the word, and this movie delivered and i loved all the actors in here. Think of movies like: Heat, king of the city, and other hard core gangster movies.