This begins with a mob boss leaving a deputy to keep tabs on his girlfriend and climaxes with said deputy scything his way through a crime syndicate in search of answers and revenge, à la Point Blank or Get Carter. If fresh ideas are disappointingly thin on the grou...( read more)
Byung-hun Lee, Jeong-min Hwang, Kim Roi-Ha
An elegant sky lounge floating like an island in the sky above Seoul, it's like Sun Woo's own little castle. After 7 years he has climbed to the top, managing the upscale lounge and restaurant. An int...( read more
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Stats: 741 reviews
Flixster Reviews (741)
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August 25, 2009
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August 18, 2009
reminiscent of oldboy, beautifully shot and a badass and bloody entertainment. the ending is a nice tribute to john woo. byung-hun lee is cool as a korean alain delon. who says gangster genre is dead. TY S!!! :D
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March 28, 2009
A film for me that got bigger and better the more I watched. Lee Byung Hun is superb as the lead role and the Action in this film was very natural, from the Acting and fight scenes to the realistic shoot outs (something I?m not usually a fan of) and bloodshed, this is definitely...( read more)
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November 6, 2008
A mob enforcer is made an example of when he shows mercy and fails to execute the mistress of the boss he has served with unquestioning loyalty for the previous seven years. Bloody vengeance ensues. Yes, this plot line isn't exactly the most original material you are ever going t...( read more)
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August 8, 2008
the best told story i've seen for a while. brilliant camera-work. visually it's stunning. it has a fairly decent script and a clever director. really... and i mean REALLY good action sequences. with awkward moments and slight comedy it plays along like an old film noir with some ...( read more)
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November 22, 2009
A tragic tale of revenge with very well choreographed fighting and violence, featuring this spectacular performance by Lee Byung-hun and a surprisingly beautiful, touching ending.
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October 9, 2009
Beautiful bloody lyrical revenge film,. From the first scene when Sun-Woo efficently removes three annoying thugs from his hotel, you know you're in good hands as mob friends and enemies turn on him for not dealing appropriately with the boss's unfaithful girlfriend. The crystal-...( read more)
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September 5, 2009
A perfect title for a perfect ending. It's the theme that resonates most, and loudest here.
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August 18, 2009
very poetic gangster film., when other gangster films quoted by some cool and harsh words, this one is crafted by some very poetic words.,
i also like how the director made me think this movie has another layer with it's final narration, i know the director said this movie is jus...( read more)
Critic Reviews
Comments
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June 29, 2007its beautiful, really special more than just about love and a guy who can kick arse.. its about about life in general.. About your life and mine how we can never have everything we want,to me its states that 'happyness hits us at the most unexpected times' i think what i really learnt from this film is that you have to do what you want not what other people expect you to do or what people want ou to do..........
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January 31, 2007BTW, for all the twist-ending obssesed people (BIG SPOILERS)
He wasn't dreaming the whole thing, the last shot of him shadow-boxing happened after he beated Baek Jr's goons in the beginning. This was a way director Kim Ji Woon was showing the contrast of the "before" and "after". How Sun Woo's life came crashing down after being in the top of the world.
Whatever you get from that scene there is one thing clear, it was NOT a "it was all a dream" twist ending. I really can't see why people think that, frigging plot twists of these days, everyone thinks almost every movie will have one.
SPOILER ENDS -
January 4, 2007Mark my words people, this movie is a little cult gem in the making, if it's not one already. Maybe it's still far from getting the recognition it deserves, but it would be a matter of time for that.
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