New World - 新世界

New World (新世界) is an 2013 film out of Korea. The movie stars Lee Jung-jae, Choi Min-sik, and Hwang Jung-min. Supporting cast include Park Sung-woong and Song Ji-hyo. The movie was release in the states under the Well Go USA label.

Lee plays Ja-sung, the right hand man to Hwang's Jung Chung. They are part of a organized crime syndicate in South Korea. The chairman has recently been killed and a battle for a successor is started between Jung and Park's Lee Joong-gu. Lee's got more muscle than Jung and they're all heading for a vote. The police see this as an opportunity to shape the crime syndicate in their image. Ja-sung is actually a undercover cop. As the movie progresses, you'll notice a lot of other undercovers as well. Choi's section chief Kang and Song's Shin Woo play on the police side and pressure Ja-sung to give up intel on the their boss's. Jung and Lee's side are pitted against each other by Kang. Ja-sung is stuck in the middle trying to get out. How will this all play out?



This movie was really well made. I don't watch a lot of Korean movies anymore as I find the cultural things in those movies hard to follow. In the case here, there's clearly a hierarchy structure that I don't understand. And I don't understand the dynamics of ethnic Chinese in Korea. Which was an important aspect of the movie. I don't know if its the translation into English that loses its meaning, but there is. Sometimes, its the way that they talk that we can't pick up via subtitles. Like if you sarcastically talk back to the police and vice versa. That's why I'll never understand how to give award to films with a foreign language. You lose so much not understanding the language. Even for Hong Kong films translated into Mandarin, there's a degree of "lost in translation" that goes on there.

I do recommend this film due to its slick movie quality. It's unique storyline. And Song Ji-hyo's brief moments in the film.

I Saw the Devil - 看見惡魔

I Saw the Devil (看見惡魔) is a 2010 film out of Korea. The film stars Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik. This was the return vehicle for Choi Min-sik after a 4 year absence.

The movie follows Choi Min-sik as Kyung-chul, a serial killer. Lee Byung-hun plays Soo-hyun, a "secret service" type character. Kyung-chul kills Joo-yun, Soo-hyun's fiance who was pregnant. Joo-yun's father is also a detective that gives Soo-hyun a list of suspects in the killing. Soo-hyun finds Kyung-chul and starts to exact revenge.

The movie is another dark Korean triller for me. Seems all the recent Korean movies I watch are laden with evil from even the main protagonist. In this case, its Soo-hyun's desire to exact revenge on Kyung-chul. The surprising thing is that this film was picked up for limited release in the US. Maybe its for the name and face recognition of Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik, but the movie's subject matter is really dark.

I thought this was an interesting movie selection for both Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik. Choi's last role in Sympathy for Lady Vengeance wasn't very normal. And Choi's character in Oldboy isn't one to write home about either. So, for Choi, its both a surprise and not completely shocking.

Lee however is another story. Lee's riding a wave of international goodwill with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and The Good, The Bad, The Weird. Lee's role in this movie will definitely put a lot of people off in the international realm. The role's character never develops into someone you care about. You're on his side because the antagonist is so evil. Next up for Lee is the second Joe movie. Hopefully this movie isn't a measuring stick for him.

In all, I thought the movie was well made around a plot point of revenge to the evil-doer. However, all the other elements around that plot made for an uneasy watch. Took me over 4 days to finish, because I lost interest or I just felt so uneasy as the moments developed. Another thing was that I was predicting all the major plot points to add to my uneasiness. Which means that I am saying to myself to skip this and go find a light hearted Korean film like Marrying The Mafia or Take Off.

Crying Fist - 哭泣的拳頭 又名: 赤搏之男

Crying Fist (哭泣的拳頭 又名: 赤搏之男) is a 2005 film out of Korea. The movie stars Choi Min-sik and Ryu Seung-beom.

The movie starts with Ryu Seung-beom as Yu Sang-hwan. Yu is a small time crook who burglarizes people for a living. Yu is always up for a fight and doesn't back down from anyone. Choi Min-sik plays Kang Tae-shik, a former elite boxer. Kang is forced to a life of a street entertainer to make money. Without going into specifics, these two have problems. Lots of problems. Problems with family. Problems with making a living. Problems. These two are also very impulsive and engage in self destructive behavior. However, when boxing becomes a focal point in their lives again, they actually stay focused and train really hard and stay out of trouble. Can boxing be the cure in their lives?

The two stars of the movie were at a crossroads when this movie came out in 2005. Choi was enjoying the limelight of Oldboy and Ryu Seung-beom was an up and coming young stud after Arahan. Both have had varying degrees of success since. Choi still remains a A-List Star and known to the international audience. Ryu has continued to stay busy, but is virtually unknown outside of Korea. Back in 2005, I really wanted to watch this movie. But due to lack of English subs, I was never not able to watch around its time of release. And it eventually fell off my radar. In fact, most Korean cinema fell off my radar from 2006 through 2009. I've slowly been getting back into and re-visted this when I found a version with English subs at a local video store.

And was I ever disappointed. In general, this movie was the reason I stopped watching Korean cinema back in 2006. It presented the 2 protagonist as 2 flawed people. Very flawed and with no real redeeming value. I didn't like them at the beginning of the film and I liked them less as the film ended. Nothing they did from the character development side made me cheer for them. If the boxing was the only thing to focus them, I felt no pity for them. Because they continue to be bastards that are highly unlikable. The boxing didn't change them, it just drew their attention for a moment.

Hey, if you like that kind of cinema, go for it. It does present a slice of life that seems based on reality and something you won't see much of in K-dramas. Gritty, violent, and intense for most of the film. Lots and lots of subplots to drive the main plot point.

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (Lady Vengeance) - 親切的金子

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (親切的金子) is a 2005 film out of Korea starring Lee Young Ae of JSA fame. This is the third installment of a vengeance trilogy by director Park Chan-wook. Preceded by Oldboy.

Like the other 2 films of this trilogy, theres a twist as to why "vengeance must be mine". If I tell you, I'll spoil the movie. Just believe me that vengeance is gotten.

Unlike the other two, this one features a female protagonist and shows some "heart" that the other two seemed to lack.

In the end, I was disappointed and can't recommend this movie.

Oldboy - 原罪犯

Oldboy (原罪犯) is a 2003 film out of Korea starring Choi Min-sik and the lovely Kang Hye-jeong (both pictured below). Oldboy is actually part of a vengence trilogy by director Park Chan-wook. Oldboy is the second installment, preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and succeeded by Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. The movie is based off a Japanese manga.

Its been a few years since I've seen it. It was being lauded as amazing and a "blow your mind" kind of film in 2004 after its release in Korea in 2003. I picked up a English subtitled version from a local DVD place back in 2004. The sub wasn't bad nor was it good. It was decent and I understood the movie for the most part. I watched it again in 2006 via Netflix. I appreciated it much more the 2nd time around.

Well, to say the least, the movie is a mind trip over and over. The trailer does not do it justice and the fight clips are only a portion of what makes the movie blow your mind.

The movie is laced with action, vengeance, and the ultimate debate of incest. Don't read the synopsis on wikipedia because it reveals to much and watch the movie yourself. Mind trip? Check! Mystery? Check! Violence? Check! Vengeance? Check!

Kang Hey-jeong is a speck of light in the glum movie of violence, deceit, and vengeance. Her beauty is brought forth by a childlike innocence.

I hear that Will Smith is attached for the US remake of this tale of ultimate vengeance. I don't know, I think the twist of this film is not going to go over well with mainstream US audiences.