Movie: The City of Violence (A)Rating: 4/5This is a film action buffs (like me) should definitely watch, because it offers a lot of well choreographed and excellently shot action sequences. The last action block is extremely mind-blowing and the moves are classic & epic in themselves. There's hardly an action scene that fails to leave an impact. Indeed, every action scene had me dropping my jaw. If I see this film again, the action would be a reason enough.But that's where it all stops.THE CITY OF VIOLENCE or JJAKPAE does have stylish and mesmerizing action scenes to leave enough of an impression on the viewer. But it suffers in the writing department. The film has some really uninteresting moments, which made me difficult to finish the film in once. But when I recalled the excellent action clip I had seen from the film on YouTube, I decided to give it a full watch today finally. And I did enjoy it, though not totally. The last 30 minutes, however save the film as in this runtime itself the film ends up entertaining to the core. Another thing that's praiseworthy is that Ryoo Seung-wan, who also stars in the lead role along with veteran action director Jung Doo- hong, has avoided unnecessary violence. Whatever we see is just integral to the story and not a single violent shot seems pointless. But both the actors are just fine when it comes to their performances; The latter excels in the fights and the energy of the duo is enough to make you enjoy this badly written action entertainer. Rest of the cast is just average in performances. The cinematography styles in certain portions are quite innovative and have a classic feel. This film could disappoint you if you like story-driven stuff.But if you're an action lover and can ignore the uneven writing and some unimpressive performances, this film is made for you. THE CITY OF VIOLENCE is not the best action film, but it does have some of the best action scenes ever.

Tae-Su (Jung), Wang-Jae (Ahn), Pil-Ho (Lee), Dong-Hwan (Jeong) and Seok-Hwan (Director Ryoo) were close-knit high school buddies in the late 80's. They loved scrapping and fighting, but it was a much more innocent time. After the mysterious death of Wang-Jae, Tae-Su returns to his small South Korean hometown to attend the funeral. But suspicions arise, and Tae-Su, who is now a hard-nosed cop, stays in town to conduct his own personal investigation into the death of his friend. He teams up with Seok-Hwan and together they tear up the town and even revert back to their old pugilistic ways. When it turns out the aggressor in all this is their old pal Pil-Ho, who grew up to be a remorseless psychopath, and who has become a successful land developer because of his corrupt and ruthless ways, it sets the stage for an epic battle for the ages. Will the hometown of these old friends become the ultimate CITY OF VIOLENCE? Find out today! The City of Violence is a highly entertaining movie, overflowing with dynamism, energy, color and visual appeal. The cinematic flourishes on a the visual level are the icing on the cake to a story about loyalty, brotherhood, betrayal and nostalgia. Not to mention remembrance and tragedy. And of course fighting. It is extremely well-shot, well-lit, and well-directed, and director Ryoo employs all manner of tactics to delight the eye of the viewer and keep them invested. What with its fast pace, you don't really get a chance to become un-invested. Thanks to indicators like this movie, South Korea has become a hotbed of film talent in recent years. The City of Violence is a great example of what Korean filmmakers have to offer, and we definitely recommend it.There are plenty of memorable moments, but from an action standpoint, the scene in the shopping district with its references to The Warriors (1979), as well as the Shaw Brothers-inspired climax, will more than satisfy action cravings. The scenes set in the 80's also stand out, with expertly-done hair and clothes, as well as music - note the song by Namee, "Eternal Friendship". Could there be some irony there? Whoever did the wardrobe for the movie should also be very proud, as characters wear very interesting clothing, which definitely matches the movie's overall colorful nature. Top the movie off with some nice humorous bits, and you have a winner.Definitely try to get a hold of the Dragon Dynasty 2-DVD set of this movie. They always do good work and they've chosen another gem for their roster of releases. We think it's definitely worth adding to your collection.

THE CITY OF VIOLENCE is a solid action film with an engaging, gangster-focused storyline and plenty of interesting characters to keep the viewer's attention. Things kick off with a brutal murder in the street, which leads to the victim's childhood friends reuniting to reminisce about the old days. We learn that each character has gone his own way: one's now a small-time gangster, another a cop. The gradual pursuit and uncovery of the truth eventually leads to violent recriminations for one and all.Interestingly enough, the mystery-style plotting and gangster window-dressing eventually wear off until by the end the film becomes a riotous, ass-kicking extravaganza that bears more than a passing resemble to the infamous 'Crazy 88' action scene in KILL BILL: VOLUME 1. It works: the director contributes plenty of stylish flourishes and the action is well-filmed through, from huge, sprawling street fights early on to the epic bad-assery of the climax. It truly is an excellent ending, lifting what's come before and proving itself a film more than capable of holding its own against bigger productions.

"The City of Violence" had gotten some fairly great reviews on Amazon, that is one of the main motives for why I bought it, that and also because I enjoy Asian cinema.And now having seen "The City of Violence", I must say that I was thoroughly entertained and somewhat surprised by the movie. Initially, I found the story to be a little bit jumpy and not all that easy to grasp at first, as there is a lot of jumping to and fro and a heap of characters thrown into your face all at once. But once the dust settles and the movie trots on, it becomes really great. The story really isn't the main issue to carry the movie; the action and fighting is.The action and fighting scenes and sequences were really nicely choreographed and executed. Lots of adrenaline and in-your-face fighting here. It is not the type of action as seen in many Chinese action movies, with wires and crazy jumping going on, no! This is done very realistic and believable. Though I do wonder how one manages to stay afoot after receiving such a beating as the two main characters did towards the end and final showdown (I guess they just had that Jean Claude Van Damme gene in them, eh?).The people cast for the various roles were doing really great jobs with their roles, and I think it was nice to see so many unfamiliar faces on the cast list, which for me, means there are no associations to prior movies and roles hanging in the air. I enjoyed the performances by all people in "The City of Violence"."The City of Violence" is a movie that you just have to watch if you are a fan of Asian action movies, it is an amazing Korean movie that is well worthy up along side some of the 'classic' Hong Kong action movies. And "The City of Violence" goes to prove that action doesn't have to come from Hollywood. And speaking of action, then the final showdown at the restaurant was one of the best fighting scenes I have ever witnessed in a movie, it just went on and on (but in a good way) and it was done so nicely.Thumbs up for this movie, way up!