Another OK Korean movie. A fine police drama, but without the cool fights. Nah, they don't kung-fu-or-whatever they way throughout the movie, they are regular dudes.Some parts actually left me with a huge knot in the throat. I liked the acting.Plot is fine and nothing special, but it has its nice aftermath. An OK movie to watch on a Sunday while drinking a few cold-ones.
... View MoreI like Korean action cinema. They don't have to hide behind US Blockbusters, quite the contrary, there are movies that excel some of the Hollywood fare. But this movie is not quite up to that task, which is a shame.The outline overall is quite good, the main actors are real enough (although their motives and intentions might be unclear and stay that way for some western audience members). The action set pieces are good, but a bit too shaky for my taste. A previous reviewer compared this movie to the wonderful "A bittersweet Life". I'd steer away from that comparison. A bittersweet Life is much more philosophical than this movie is, but more about that movie under it's own IMDb page (I highly recommend you to watch "A bittersweet Life")
... View MoreGood stuff baby! Homicide Detective JANG and Chief Inspector OH are hot on the trail of the ever elusive and seemingly untouchable Gangster boss YU.Now Jang is like a thug himself beating out confessions and going on vigilante rampages but the man is on a mission of revenge. Inspector OH , on the other hand is your clean cut, by the book career cop trying to make the world a better place by fighting organized crime. Extenuating circumstances bring the two together because they are after the same people essentially in Boss YU and his crime family. Boss YU is not one to be trifled with as he is major connected in legitimate and illegitimate ways to the top of the food chain in the gangster and political scene. He is like the Zen Master Gangster who is adept at the Art of War. He is always pulling something out to escape the clutches of his foes and those who are against him or stand in his way always face death or double cross.The tension is high and the pace never relents. Each scene plays out like a chess game that is opening up as the story unfolds revealing bits and pieces of a murderous game. The acting is superb if you like intensity and the quality of production is impressive to say the least. The characters are definitely attention getting. The tension between the three main players just burns with each pursuing a destiny that consumes them.
... View More'Running Wild' stars Kwon Sang Woo (Love So Divine) as chain-smoking jaded homicide detective Jang, who has lost faith in the judicial system and now pursues a maverick line of police inquiry. He's after a cruel crime lord called Yu, but thus far he's been unable to pin the guy down. Also after Yu is an elite prosecutor, Oh, played by Yoo Ji Tae (Old Boy). In contrast to Jang, this character is obsessive that rules and procedures must be obeyed. I think you can guess the next bit! Jang and Oh's paths cross and this mismatched pair form an uneasy alliance to bring the bad guy down. But to do this, they have to fight fire with fire and break the rules.This sounds quite good on paper but sadly it doesn't work on screen. Maybe it was too ambitious as a directorial debut from Kim Sung Soo and most certainly it was miscast. Kwon Sang Woo is best known for light romantic comedies and a host of tear-jerking TV dramas in which he excels. I can't blame the actor if he wants to break away from that mould, but somehow he's just too handsome. So having unkempt hair, sporting an incongruous moustache and shouting a lot doesn't convince me that he's been through hell and high water in a police department.There are a lot of action scenes, most of which sadly fail to impress. Apparently, director Kim Sung Soo is a protégé of Park Chan Wook. He still has a lot to learn. If you want to see a great Korean film about a maverick cop, then check out 'Public Enemy'.
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