Eastern Cinema

Similar in ideals to Woo's Hard Boiled in how it looks into the dedication of men made to work undercover. How these two handle every day life whilst lying to everyone they know and the friendships they can develop with the people they are essentially spying on. But it is a thousand miles away from Hard Boiled when it comes to action.

IA provides action through it's raw tension, it pulls you to edge of your seat as they come closer to finding out who is who. By the time a few bullets do start to fly it is short and all the more realistic in tone.

Andrew Lau's direction style is fantastic and is a perfect example of a stylised director who doesn't overload the screen with little flairs. It is subtle and brings you in closer to the characters. The acting is superb especially Tony Leung's wrought portayal of an almost burnt out undercover cop and Andy Lau is great as always.

I also what to give praise to the fact that Hong Kong filmmakers can let the film tell the story rather than lengthy exposistion. Making these movies a more cerebral experience then the majority of thrillers coming out of other countries.

Johnnie To exceeds himself, an instant classic.

For a director who can turn out almost two movies a year using casts of regulars it surprises me how he can keep the quality at such a high level.

I loved the spaghetti western influences in the characters, dialogue, score and themes of the film. Even Macau was made to look like a deserted town with the ineffectual sheriff just trying to keep from getting himself killed.

It is a sign of genius and great filmmaking that can keep you interested with such sparse dialogue. All your attention is draw to the cinematography and the performances that the actors put in. That and the several shoot outs, each different from last in style, that could put John Woo to shame.

Simon Yam is at his menacingly evil best, but it is a mohawked Anthony Wong that steals most of the scenes he is in. Wong's character is central to the story it is decisions that tear between loyalty for his boss and his bond with his brotherhood that bring the plot along.

Watch and enjoy for it's breathtaking simplicity and downright cool.

Revenge tales are nothing new to Korean cinema so with every new one the creators have to look to ways of injecting something fresh into a genre that could go stale very fast.

With A Bittersweet Life it can be safely said that Ji-woon Kim is more than capable of doing that.

The source of the film's vengeance is Sun-woo (Byung-hun), he by outward appearance is neatly presented hotel manager but as we find out in the opening few minutes he is a deadly and seemingly emmotionless enforcer. When his boss, President Kang (Young-chul), asks him to keep a eye on his girlfriend Hee-soo (Min-a) to see if she is being faithful to him alos telling him if she is cheating that he must kill her and her lover. But all this does not go to plan as Sun-woo's feelings get in the way of his job and his loyalty to his boss, now he has to deal with the repercussions of his actions.


Firstly let it be said that on screen the city of Seoul is striking in it's outward cleanliness and beauty whilst under the surface seems to be a vicious underworld. It works as a match to the character of Sun-woo who is clean cut and smart in his business but underneath the sharp veneer is a potential for violence which when unleashed becomes an unstoppable machine.


I loved how the story didn't try to pretend to be anything more than a revenge tale, the plots moves along in a linear fashion, thankfully avoiding alot of the cliches or potential twists. It is enjoyable in it's simplicity. Yes you can tell where the story is going and to what ends it may bring, but in the case of this film is completely satisfying. I suppose it could be equated with going to a restaurant, ordering great food, getting what you wanted and it tasting just as you expected.


Although having said that the final shot of the film does suggest something but you can take it as you want. As with most Korean or other eastern movies it sows seeds for discussion and gives the viewer more of a choice in deceiding what they have just seen.


Visually, like the story, it is simple, stark yet rich and easy on the eye. When the blood does flow, and it flows alot, it is bold and in your face. The fight scenes are fantastic especially the final shoot out in the hotel restaurant. The acting is equally good Byung-hun Lee makes Sun-woo a believeable, likable guy through all his violent outbursts and his chemistry with his unrequited love Hee-soo is great.

Aliens walk among us. Or so Beong-gu (Ha-kyun Shin) believes. And as any drug-addled insane person would do he tells his girlfriend Sooni (Jeong-min Hwang) and proceeds to kidnap the man he thinks is the leader of the aliens (Yun-shik Baek). Then setting about the task of torturing the truth out of him.

First time director Jun-hwan Jeong takes us on a horrifying journey into one man's madness where there is no line between good or bad. He skillfully blends genre after genre like he has been movie making all his life. Although the movie does follow the time tested B-movie plot of "they are among us" it doesn't grow tired or stale from the opening scenes you are dragged into the 'delusion or is it?' story.

The visual touches are often stunning with some gorgeous cinematography. The budget for this movie was around $3 million and comes off looking alot more thanks to the great camera and set work. Korean film-making has come along way in the past few years doing things which Hollywood would never dare touch and this along with films like OldBoy is an excellent example of a growing movie business.

Just a warning the torture scenes are often graphic, although never gratuitous, they may not be everyone's cup of tea.

The original Japansese version is an excellent exercise in pure terror and cold chills. Watch it and just try to sleep that night.

SPL is about a squad of Hong Kong police officers heade up by Chan (Simon Yam) who are attempting to bring down crime boss Wing Po (Sammo Hung). Chen is a couple days away from retiring and has to bring his replacement, Ma (Donnie Yen), upto speed on what he has to do once he is gone. But before this can take place they come across some evidence that could potential frame Po and bring him down.

What takes place onscreen in the brisk 90 minute run time is quite possibly one of the best HK action movies in a long time. From the opening sequence which sets the emmotional tone for the film. Yip's direction style is gripping, clever and very watchable. The use of music is just right and the sound is excellent. The performances are uniformally excellent, especially Sammo Hung.

What really brings the bar even higher is the Donnie Yen choereographed fight sequences. Yes they are are violent and harsh but all the more realistic. Yen's two main fight scenes, the first an alley fight against Wu Jing and the second a UFC-style takedown brawl with Sammo, are breathtaking.

This all leads upto to an ending that Hollywood just couldn't and wouldn't touch. Ever. Just to say watching this film reminded me of see Woo's The Killer for the first time almost ten years ago. Although not quite as good as the glory days, it has been so long that is well worth the wait. This all reminds me of what made me fall in love with HK cinema in the first place

A fabulous and sometimes hilarious blend of horror and family drama.

It is Little Miss Sunshone meets Godzilla in Korean. As the dysfunctional Park family go up against the government and a genetic mutation.

An off-beat cop drama. Darkly humorous and the right amount of tension.

Donnie Yen scores again, an awesome comic book experience.

I've read alot of reviews giving this movie a hard time and coming as a follow up to the sublime SPL, Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen had a touch act to follow.

I can see how some people could be disappointed by this one. It is a vast departure from the work they had done on the thriller SPL. This movie is based on a popular series of manga and I think this emulates the genre very well.

Yen's choreography again is a standout and a reason only to watch this. The three different styles of the leads blend well. I was impressed with the skills on display from younger stars Tse and Yue, definately actors to watch for in the future.

There is also nifty CGI sequences include a great gratitous training montage as Turbo and Tiger learn their new moves.

One small problem is the 40-something Yen playing a 20-something Dragon. They hide it pretty well, but it is impossible to hide the tests of time.

It is a shame to see that this movie was so coldly received in it's home country as I think it is a great addition to Yen's filmography.

Stylish and enjoyable Korean thriller. Nothing ground breaking but definately worth watching.