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    Takuma
    Senior Member

  • Takuma
    replied
    Outlaw: Heartless (無頼非情) (Japan, 1968) [BD] - 3/5
    Part 3 in the Outlaw / Gangster V.I.P. series. Another solid entry with the usual mixture of knife fights, loyalty conflicts and romantic tones. This time Watari, who is nursing a fallen yakuza's widow, runs into a childhood friend (Ryuhei Uchida, excellent as usual) whose wife is the sister of Watari's enemy, while also trying to keep a young woman (Chieko Matsubara again, in a different role than before) hopelessly in love with him at bay for her own sake. There's quite an enjoyable 60s Nikkatsu Action feel with slick visuals, nice soundtrack and Yokohama locations. The main problem with "Heartless", and many other Japanese 60s gangster films, be it Nikkatsu or Toei, is that after a couple of hundred entries in the genre the formulas had become so predictable the audience could see some twists and character deaths coming miles away. That is, to an extent, the case here as well, although there are some scenes that play against the expectations.

    Outlaw: Goro the Assassin (無頼 人斬り五郎) (Japan, 1968) [BD] - 3.5/5
    Part 4. Watari runs into old enemies while searching for his dead pal's (Tatsuya Fuji) sister. Add a veteran assassin suffering from guilty conscience, a likeable young hood hopelessly in love with a waitress but affiliated with the bad guys, and Chieko Matsubara (once again) as an innocent woman who falls for Watari, and complications begin to arise. Stylish and well acted entry, doesn't stray far from the standard formula but features a couple of slightly unusual turns, such as regular villain actor Asao Koike playing a relatively decent character. The use of locations is excellent, and there are a couple of magnificent sequences such as the pier scene near the end. Very enjoyable.

    Outlaw: Black Dagger (無頼 黒匕首) (Japan, 1968) [BD] - 3/5
    The 5th film in the series, and also the 5th entry released in 1968. Such pace was exceptional even by the Japanese genre film standards of the time. Like most yakuza films made in the 60s, the "Outlaw" films were formulaic, and what often distinguished a fine film from a mediocre one was not originality but its ability to avoid potentially frustrating drama scenarios. This is where "Black Dagger" stumbles a bit with its "evil yakuza bullying people who can't or won't to fight back" plot. On a positive note, that does make seeing justice eventually happen - in the film's extremely well staged knife fights - very satisfying. The main character, well played by Watari, also has grown so sympathetic by this point that he alone could carry the films given the plots were even half-decent. Also worth mentioning is Kunie Tanaka, an actor who often played gangsters, as a yakuza-hating doctor in this film.



    Outlaw: Kill (無頼 殺せ) (Japan, 1969) [BD] - 3.5/5
    Part 6, the last in the series. This is the grittier and more violent than the rest of the bunch, indeed somewhat bridging the gap from the romantic pathos of the 60s Japanese crime cinema to the grittier style embraced in the 70s. While still rooted in the ideals of honour and duty, it's also very critical of what the yakuza have become, and the only film in the series without a love story between Watari and Matsubara. The scrip is not terribly original, but does good gob avoiding bigger pitfalls. As parting words, the hero played by Watari really grew into a character worthy of six films as the series progressed, and it's almost a shame there weren't a few more.



    The Young Animals (皮ジャン反抗族) (Japan, 1978) [DVD] - 3/5
    Yasuharu Hasebe took a break from the Roman Porno series to do this biker youth / disco film for Toei Central. And what an opening it has! Hiroshi Tachi on a bike. Cut to a disco where he tames a Nikkatsu runaway girl gang (Yuri Yamashina with razor blades, Natsuko Yashiro). And then he goes all Travolta to "Funky Disco Princess" on the dance floor. Tachi was one of those rock stars turned actors who were better screen performers than you'd expect (Yuya Uchida, who also happens to be in the film, is another). His youthful looks combined with charisma a strangely suffering look on his face made him perfect for playing melancholic punks. This was his first starring role after a couple fine supporting turns (e.g. Classroom of Terror, 1976). The film is basically Rebel Without a Cause meets Saturday Night Fever done in the Japanese youth film genre, fun and colourful, but ultimately lacking in characterization, and perhaps also missing the final punch on the tech side. Aiko Morishita has a small supporting role with no bare skin on display.



    Erotic Liaisons (エロチックな関係) (Japan, 1992) [DVD] - 2/5
    More of a curiosity than a good film, this is Koji Wakamatsu's adaptation of a French detective novel, shot on location in Paris. Yuya Uchida stars as private detective falling in love with the femme fatale (Jennifer Galin) he's been hired to tail by a rich businessman (Takeshi Kitano). Rie Miyazawa, fresh off from her "hair nude" photo book fame of 1991, is Uchida's fully clothed side-kick. It is too bad the film is largely void of the angry political angst and exploitation Wakamatsu is known for, feeling like a lame TV production with a bit of nudity thrown in. Even Uchida, whose Japanese / French / English speaking role is the highlight of the film, often looks bored. The storyline itself is not bad despite stretching the credibility, but there is a far superior version of it found in the Nikkatsu Roman Porno catalogue. The 1978 film, also called Erotic Liaisons, stars Uchida in the same role under Yasuharu Hasebe's ultra-stylish direction. It's a better film in every sense: more erotic, with stronger characters, 10 times better score, and cinematography that oozes noir. It was filmed in Japan with a Japanese cast, but somehow felt more French than the Wakamatsu version.

    Lowlife Love (下衆の愛) (Japan, 2015) [DCP] - 2.5/5
    A lowlife film director dreams of making a good film and entertains his sad life by exploiting young actresses. Looking back at this film, which came out a few years ago, it's become more timely now with the Harvey Weinstein stuff and all. Japanese film industry has its own little Harveys, and this film shows it. It's also not a bad film, but considering its low key approach to very daily topics there should have been something more to make it stand out. As a general remark about modern Japanese cinema, there's a whole new generation of young filmmakers seemingly making indie films for themselves, about themselves, often clueless of what other filmmakers have done before them. Although not all of the fore-mentioned "accusations" apply to Lowlife Love, I can't help but to at least occasionally associate Uchida with the fore-mentioned filmmakers. Or perhaps I just belong to the wrong "group" since these films do have an audience in Japan, the same people who will go see every new Japanese indie that gets a theatrical release.

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  • 47lab
    replied
    I checked out David Lai + Michael Mak's 1986 melodrama, MIDNIGHT WHISPERS. The title & cover of the Joy Sales dvd is a bit of a misnomer as the theatrical cut did include some scenes with real life late night radio personality Pamela Peck but apparently these were scrapped for the dvd release. I was intrigued by the fact this is one of the rare non-action, non-comedic straight drama roles for Moon Lee. She plays a rebellious incorrigible teen daughter who reunites with her mother & returns to HK after having spent a better part of a decade in a reeducation camp during the cultural revolution.

    She doesn't do much fighting (other than kicking a school bully's ass) but gets to show off her dance background with some really cheesy 80s dance numbers & it was kind of cool to see her playing a sassy out of control teen. She played the role surprisingly well. The directors also use Moon Lee's character to highlight the discrimination & struggles 'mainlanders' face in HK. Admittedly, there were some fun scenes like when Josephine Koo goes all George C. Scott in HARDCORE & begins searching for her runaway daughter in all the seedy adult establishments, dive bars and strip clubs. I'm sure the directors were well versed & steeped in Sirk's Hollywood melodramas tackling social issues as the ending was quite reminiscent of IMITATION OF LIFE. Ultimately, despite the directors' best intentions and Moon Lee's best efforts, it was too overwrought and a good portion was so contrived that it was hard to keep a straight face.

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  • 47lab
    replied
    Caught a double bill earlier with the first flick being the Chinese remake of Kim Seong-hun's 2014 dark comedic crime thriller, A HARD DAY titled PEACE BREAKER directed by Taiwanese Lien Yi-chi & starring Aaron Kwok in the lead role that Lee Sun-kyun so adeptly portrayed in the original. Just another totally unnecessary remake & offers nothing in return to the viewer who has watched the Korean version. Wang Qianyuan (MR SIX & BROTHERHOOD OF BLADES) who plays the villain role (Cho Jin-woong in the original) is so flamboyant and needlessly over the top in his acting compared to the original that it's a glaring weak link & a real turn off. Lee Sun-kyun brought a certain sympathetic portrayal to his character but Kwok is just merely adequate in his role here and a lot of the stark black humor of the original just seems to elude the viewer in this tedious remake. Only recommended for Aaron Kwok fans and those interested in seeing Kuala Lumpur featured as the backdrop.



    The second flick I caught was Tei Kato's 1966 gangster flick, BY A MAN'S FACE SHALL YOU KNOW HIM. It attempts to be more than the standard yakuza crime tale as Tei Kato brings up social issues involving Zainichi (Japanese of Korean ancestry) during the immediate aftermath of the post war era. In the beginning there is some onscreen notes by Kato with all the platitudes about ethnic harmony and unjust social discrimination against the Zainichi but you surely couldn't tell the director's motives from the actual film as Koreans are by and large presented in an extremely negative light -- violent thugs, rapists, hellbent on revenge for centuries of perceived persecution,...the scene in the barber shop where Bunta Sugawara flies into a rage is the most prominent of the anti-Korean sentiment portrayed in this flick. Other than the rather unpleasant portrayal of the Koreans, there really isn't much that sticks out here in a positive or negative way for the majority of this film. It's only the ending (told in a long flashback sequence) where Noboru Ando goes 'beast mode' & literally turns into Rambo does the pic ramp up any excitement. The Rambo analogy is rather apt because just like the Stallone character, Ando is trying his best to adjust to civilian life and forget the horrors of war he witnessed as a medic on the frontline & in the end, he's pushed too far by those nasty Koreans and must return to the battlefield once again to avenge his brother & honor of the Japanese civilians who were ruthlessly butchered at the hands of the Zainichi gangsters.

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  • 47lab
    replied
    Caught a double header with Lo Chi's THE TIGRESS OF SHAOLIN (1979). A nice HD rip is going around and it gave me the opportunity to revisit it again. I wasn't a fan when I first saw it but it seemed to grow on me during this second viewing. I think my lack of enthusiasm initially came from the misleading title as Kara Hui is not featured as prominently as she is shown in the poster & by the title. She is just a minor character and the spotlight really falls on Lar Kar-leung's nephew, Lau Kar-yung. He really puts on a show with his acrobatic kung fu style and sophomoric hijinks. Admittedly, I'm not the biggest fan of the kung fu comedy so prevalent around this time and the video game soundtrack, some of the undercranking & lame references to pop culture of the times wore my patience but overall, the fight scenes were pretty awesome. I especially enjoyed Yung's fight with scabies infected waiter "little rat" Sham-bo in the teahouse & the final 20 minutes or so was really excellent. I even enjoyed the comedic scenes between the drunken master and his leprous old lady. Overall, seems like the director just threw the entire kitchen sink with the hope of having something stick. It's a bit too much but I was able to glean some really entertaining parts here and there.



    The second flick was Alan Lo's unabashed & rather shameless remake of RESERVOIR DOGS called HERO OF CITY (2001). I guess turnabout is fair play but at least make a decent remake. This one was just putrid. You got Felix Lok playing the Harvey Keitel character but the whole reason he turned to a life of crime is because he's an ex-film director whose career went into the toilet due to VCD pirates!? I shit you not, this backstory is played straight! You got Blackie Ko playing the Chris Penn role and Mike Tong as Tim Roth. But the most hilarious copy is Simon Lui as Mr. Blonde replete with the corny dance moves while he sadistically tortures a captured police woman. I guess Lam Suet would be Steve Buscemi but at this point, I just gave up. Danny Lee is also in this and he's obviously picking up a quick paycheck as what else but a cop & Mike Tong's handler. This shit would've been much funnier as a parody. Avoid at all costs!

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  • 47lab
    replied
    Went to check out Lee An-gyu's A SPECIAL LADY aka MI-OK last night at CGV. This is his directorial debut but he's been an AD on a couple of hit Kim Jee-woon films such as THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD & THE QUIET FAMILY. I saw the trailer and didn't really go in with any expectations as I thought perhaps this might be Korea's version of ATOMIC BLONDE as lead actress, Kim Hye-soo is sporting a platinum blonde bob & it showed her blasting baddies with a shotgun. Also, actor Lee Sun-kyun is in it and he's generally pretty good like in A HARD DAY. Choi Moo-sung is the other main actor & you guys probably remember him as the cannibal serial killer buddy of Choi Min-sik in I SAW THE DEVIL.

    It had its moments but it just didn't gel for me as a whole. The beginning scenes of the criminal enterprise shaking down titans of industry with sex tapes and blackmailing them into turning over their assets and control of their companies & the backstory of the revenge scenario from twenty years earlier was just filler for what is essentially an unrequited love story. I thought Lee Sun-kyun losing it and turning psycho after he finds out the dark secret of his ex-lover, Kim Hye-soo was far fetched and he just didn't convey any presence onscreen. He came off as a petty jilted lover bent on revenge. Kim Hye-soo was better in her role & she has a certain swagger but she was sort of a cold fish and didn't garner much sympathy from me even as the final denouement in revealed. There were some entertaining action scenes particularly the one involving Hye-soo wielding a portable circular saw to fend off an army of attackers but unfortunately, these were far and few between.















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  • Takuma
    Senior Member

  • Takuma
    replied
    Iwai is an odd director. I think most of his early TV films are absolutely terrible (Unknown Child, The Man Who Came to Kill, Ghost Soup, Fried Dragon Fish etc.) but then he went on to direct some of the best Japanese films of all time (Swallowtail Butterfly, April Story, All About Lily Chou Chou). Now he he seems to be going downhill again, though.

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  • 47lab
    replied
    Re-watched Shunji Iwai's PiCNiC earlier. I think this is my third or fourth time seeing it and the ending always blows me away. Seeing Chara's crow feathers explode in the air against the backdrop of the sea & the sunset with Asano cradling her limp body is sublime.

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  • 47lab
    replied
    Watched Yoon Hong-seung's latest Korean film, CANOLA aka GRANDMOTHER GYU-CHOON. This is a tearjerker melodrama but superbly written and acted. Youn Yuh-jung plays the eponymous grandmother and she is simply magnificent. Her storied & prolific acting career goes back to the early 70s with Kim Ki-young's works & I've watched her in a lot of stuff over the years from K-dramas to mainstream flicks but I don't think I've seen her on top of her game as in the last couple of films I've seen her in -- this flick and BACCHUS LADY. Also, Kim Go-eun matches Yuh-jung scene by scene and that's no small feat. I've kept an eye on her since she burst on the scene with A MUSE and I think this is her best work since that debut flick. Yang Ik-june, the director, screenwriter & actor behind the superb BREATHLESS is also in this playing an art teacher. A very simple film with nice character development & a rewarding storyline that doesn't feel rushed nor does the melodrama become overly syrupy & sappy. The idyllic scenery & ambience of Jeju-do also adds to the film and the director does a great job of contrasting the peaceful island countryside with the ruthless cutthroat nature of Seoul. Definitely recommended & not just catering to Korean cinema fans but film fans in general.

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  • 47lab
    replied
    I saw the trailer for Kim Joo-hwan's MIDNIGHT RUNNERS when I went to check out BATTLESHIP ISLAND at my local CGV and I had zero interest in it. It seemed like it was going to be a Korean spoof of POLICE ACADEMY and a rather droll buddy cop comedy lampooning the whole process of becoming police officers in Korea. Just on a whim, I decided to check it out as I wasn't in the mood for anything really serious. So I was expecting a light hearted comedy but this flick veered off into some dark territory fairly early on with the main plot involving kidnapping of young girls off the street by an organ trafficking ring run by a nasty group of Sino-Korean gangsters tied in with an unscrupulous fertility clinic. I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would and a large part was due to the great chemistry between the two leads, Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul. Usually these "buddy cop" flicks feature the same old gag of one being the straight man and comedic foil for the funny guy character & it initially started out that way but credit to both actors as they were able to deviate from the same tired tropes as the film progressed. Again, this isn't a "classic" by any stretch of the imagination but it was an entertaining movie with some genuinely funny as well as poignant scenes. I couldn't help but root for both these lovable losers in the end.

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  • Takuma
    Senior Member

  • Takuma
    replied
    The Hoodlum Soldier (兵隊やくざ) (Japan, 1965) [DVD] - 3/5
    While Japan's militaristic past may remain a touchy subject in politics, there are few nations that have made mainstream war movies as self-critical as Japan. Here we have an ultra violent war satire set in Manchuria, where the Japanese troops never encounter a single enemy during the films course. Instead, the spend all their time getting slapped, battered, tortured, spat at and abused in every imaginable way by their superiors, who in turn are abused by their own superiors, all in the name of ranks and absurd military discipline. The story follows two men, a bad attitude yakuza (Shintaro Katsu) drafted to army and his intellectual superior who hates war (Takahiro Tamura), whose tragicomic tale would be hilarious if it wasn't so disturbingly violent. Indeed, the endless beatings get a little repetitive and hard to take, as not terribly much else happens in the story. For Katsu, the biggest star in Japan at the time, this film initiated his 3rd simultaneous hit series. 1965 saw the release of 3 Zatoichi pictures, 2 Bad Reputation films, and 3 Hoodlum Soldiers, all starring him and released to the public by the (generally) conservative Daiei. None of this could happen in modern day Japan, sadly.

    Zatoichi's Revenge (座頭市二段斬り) (1965) [BD] - 4/5
    Part 10. Zatoichi, while trying to free a young lady from a brothel, runs into a cheating yakuza dice thrower who is also a loving single father to a young daughter. A rather gloomy, yet slick entry echoing the fall/winter season during which it was filmed (the Criterion transfer comes with a sunset tint that I'm not sure if it's intentional or not, but it suits the film perfectly). There's a very nice ninkyo film like honour aspect with conflicting duties concerning the fore mentioned dice master, and some other wonderful moments. The villains are rather one-dimensional, save for a few interesting moments with a hired-by-the-bad-guys ronin (Takeshi Kato), but there's also a pleasing absence of contrived plottings. The massive end fight comes with a very interesting climax as well. Although not exceptional in terms of characterization or action, this still manages to be one of the most enjoyable films in the series.



    Zatoichi and the Doomed Man (座頭市逆手斬り) (Japan, 1965) [BD] - 3/5
    Part 11. This is one of the lesser Zatoichi films for lacking interesting supporting characters, and for featuring a rather lame comic relief who steals Zatoichi's identity and goes around pretending to be him. Even then, this is an enjoyable, harmless film with some beautiful locations, excellent fight design and a delightfully compact 78 minute running time.

    Zatoichi's Cane Sword (座頭市鉄火旅) (1967) [BD] - 3/5
    Part 15. Zatoichi gives up his sword after learning there's a fracture that will break it rather sooner than later, and tries an honest living (as masseur of course). Unfortunately for him, the town is populated by the usual rotten gangsters. Despite the unusual twist that leaves Zatoichi armless, the film is a relatively standard affair, neither great nor bad in the least. That being said, it seems to enjoy reputation as one of the best among many viewers.



    Secret Story: Plundering the Jewel (戦後秘話 宝石略奪) (Japan, 1970) [TV] - 1.5/5
    Everybody's chasing a diamond in Sadao Nakajima's tiresome crime/action/drama. It was a based on a novel by Tsusai Sugawara, who was a Japanese writer and political figure campaigning against drugs, prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases. Sugawara also gave the incentive for a trio of superior Sonny Chiba crime films (A Narcotic's Agent's Ballad, Terrifying Flesh Hell, Tokyo-Seoul-Bangkok Drug Triangle, in 1972-1973). The problem with "Secret Story" is that the story is short on action and memorable characters, something that is not offset by the big name cast (Bunta Sugawara, Chiezo Kataoka, Tomisaburo Wakayama, and in what seems like a referential joke, Tetsuro Tamba as a gangster who shares his name and looks with his Key Hunter character) playing gangsters and other shady political/corporate figures. Nakajima's direction is uninspired as well, even though he was fresh off from one of his best pictures, Memoir of Japanese Assassins (1969). That kind of unevenness was typical of him, and in some ways he remains both over-rated and underappreciated with his remarkably vast but uneven filmography. "Secret Story" does have a stylish, hallucinatory ending that rewards the viewer, as well as some interesting bits set in Singapore, but in all honesty, much of the film is a chore to get through.



    On the Road (オン・ザ・ロード) (Japan, 1982) [TV] - 3/5
    Pink film director Seiji Izumi had 49 skin flicks under his belt when he helmed this motorcycle cop flick, his first mainstream release. Largely forgotten since its theatrical run in 1982 (a double feature with Nobuhiko Obayashi's Transfer Student), the film might be heading towards small cult reputation since its re-discovery a few years ago by a small arthouse theatre in Yokohama that played it in 35mm for more than a year. Hiroyuki Watanabe, in his debut role, stars as young, eccentric loner of a Tokyo biker cop. The film's opening chase leaves a bystander, a model called Reiko (Kumi Fujishima), injured when his bike hits her. Feeling quilt, he tracks her down months later, but she's determined to start a new life in Okinawa and wishes not to see him. She hops in a car with her sister to drive through half of Japan to a port in Kyushu, while he, still in his uniform and riding his bike, is determined to follow her to the end of worlds. His superior (Hideo Murota) and half of the nation's police force are trying to capture the renegade cop and avoid a public scandal while the lone rider grows reputation as a rebel hero of sorts. It's a fantastic concept, even though some of the drama is mediocre and the two female characters are poorly written and cast. Not really an action film, but there's a fair bit of stylish bike and chase footage as well.



    Blue Rain Osaka (ブルーレイン大阪) (Japan, 1983) [DVD] - 1/5
    80s human drama meets Roman Porno in Masaru Konuma's dull Osaka film. Suits, bars and boring relationship drama with occasional, pretentious art scene thrown in the mix. And lots of sex that is supposed mean Something in this context. Konuma did some of his best films in the drama genre, but this is not one of them.

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  • 47lab
    replied
    Thanksgiving with the family means watching some classic Heroic Bloodshed flicks. I decided to re-watch Joe Cheung's 1990 film, RETURN ENGAGEMENT scripted by none other than auteur Wong Kar-wai and starring Alan Tang, Andy Lau and Simon Yam. Yeah, well I contradicted myself as this is definitely not a classic of the genre. The hilariously bad opening scene shot in Vancouver with Alan Tang going to war against the Italians & the concomitant bad overdub of all the gweilo characters is cringe worthy but the guns a blazing finale more than makes up for it. I think Tang and Lau must've each laid waste to about 75 of Simon's men before they even reloaded their magazines once. The scene with Tang's daughter strapped with explosives is one that Andy Lau would revisit nearly 30 yrs later in SHOCKWAVE.

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  • 47lab
    replied
    I have the same Funimation release. My buddy used to have a bootleg version from Bonzai that Ian mentions in his review but I never watched it myself. If I get a chance, I'll ask him about it but doubt he still has it around.

    Was in the mood for some "Girls with Guns" & wanted to pick out one that I haven't seen yet -- so the choice was Tony Liu Chun-ku's 1991 flick, DREAMING THE REALITY starring Yukari Oshima, Moon Lee and Sibelle Hu. I believe this is the 2nd film that Oshima & Lee had partnered together and it's a rather middling effort. The payoff at the end was nice but I was pondering whether it was worth sitting through all the crap about Moon Lee going through a crisis of conscience, the romantic interludes & the whole amnesia angle to get to those final 20 minutes or so. It started off great with Eddie Ko playing the "foster father" who molds his two girls into deadly assassins and there are some nice action set pieces with fiery explosions, fight choreography and gunplay but overall, it doesn't live up to Tony Liu's other forays in this genre. yeah, this Cranberries song just fits right in this video?!

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  • Jack J
    Senior Member

  • Jack J
    replied
    I watched HONG KONG GODFATHER last night for the first time (altho I've had the DVD for a good number of years). I was well entertained. Interesting to see the Hong Kong gangsters using knives and daggers instead of guns (and thus making it somewhat more realistic. Real life gangsters in HK never looked like a John Woo film, LOL).

    I googled the DVD and found a pile of reviews of the release (one by Ian on DVD Talk), all of them saying the DVD is uncut but none of them commenting on the odd fact that the print doesn't contain ANY credits apart from the film's title (and names of companies that financed the film - if you reckon they're "credits"). Not even the name of the director is mentioned. Very odd. Have any of you got the old censored, mandarin dubbed release, and do you remember if it has credits?

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  • 47lab
    replied
    One of my most anticipated films was Byun Sung-hyun's THE MERCILESS ever since I heard it got the longest standing ovation at Cannes among all the Korean films that played this year. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see this in the theater because I'm not sure it even played here in the States & if it did, I obviously missed it. The Korean dvd is just barely coming out this month and not sure who has the NA rights or if this will get a domestic blu ray release, so I had to make due with a pretty nice HD rip with English subs transcribed from the original French ones. I'm wary of watching movies with these type of sketchy subs but beggars can't be choosers and for the most part, the subs were decent.

    Anyway, I was not disappointed for the most part. Nicely scripted, well paced and one of the few Korean films in which the two hour run time didn't feel in need of editing. Yes, there's been some recent Korean flicks centering around the similar storyline of a cop going deep cover in prison but this one rises above those films like THE PRISON. I was really engrossed in the story which admittedly borrows heavily from INFERNAL AFFAIRS & CITY ON FIRE and the non-linear flashback narrative wasn't a drag like in some other films.

    I was a bit worried if lead actor, Im Siwan could pull of such a demanding role as he's known more for his TV work and as peripheral characters like in Yang Woo-Seok's THE ATTORNEY (another excellent film). Just from outward appearances, with his slim build and pretty boy features, I was wary if he can be convincing enough playing a tough guy. He's one of those ex-Kpop boyband idols who turned actor but he's considered one of the better ones and I can see why he's been receiving accolades. But he just didn't do it for me. I know the director wanted to show the transformation of a greenhorn cop with a goofy persona who turns into a hardened mole with his own agenda but Siwan wasn't totally convincing IMO. No such concerns with the rest of the cast though especially Sol Kyung-gyu (who I just saw in MEMOIR OF A MURDERER), he's one of the better actors working today and was pleasantly surprised by Jeon Hye-jin who played the resolute & unscrupulous detective in charge of the entire operation.

    The opening and ending scenes still linger in my memory which is a good thing for any film. So despite my slight reservations of the casting of the lead, everything else was just about spot on. Definitely recommended and will be looking to purchase the blu ray release down the road whether it's from CJ Ent themselves or some other distributor.

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  • 47lab
    replied
    I'm self admitted Choi Min-sik trash and pretty much have to see every flick he appears either as the lead or cameo. So I went ahead & checked out his latest, HEART BLACKENED aka SILENCE by director Jung Ji-woo the other night. It's a remake of the Chinese flick, SILENT WITNESS that starred Aaron Kwok as the lead prosecutor. I saw it a few years ago and have it on dvd somewhere. Having already seen the original Chinese movie, I knew what to expect but still wanted to see Choi Min-sik's acting chops. He does his usual fine job but felt he had to hold back due to the material. I think he can do these type of roles in his sleep and the script is a paint by numbers mystery crime thriller but certain scenes (the one on the dock in Bangkok and the prison scene with his profligate daughter) really show Choi Min-sik's onscreen presence. Not a horribly bad movie but just mediocre all around. Park Shin-hye plays the lawyer assigned to defend Sik's daughter ( a role that Yun Nan played with more aplomb in the original) and current "it" actor, Ryu Joon-yeol is also in this playing a terrible miscast role as a fanboy who may hold the key to the entire case.

    Just like the original, the viewer can see the ending 'twist' coming a mile away and just like the original, I felt it insulted the viewer's intelligence to have to show the elaborate display on how it was staged for the CCTV camera.

    Jung Ji-woo's debut dark comedic film, HAPPY END about the vagaries of a loveless marriage & the consequences of infidelity, which also starred Choi Min-sik and Jeon Do-yeon is much better viewing and a masterpiece in comparison to this one.

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