Os Cangaceiros
9th December 2010, 22:03
I remember some ignorant fool on this site a while back speculating that S. Korea's film scene was somehow artistically impoverished, due to the capitalist system that's in effect there. This could not be farther from the truth, as S. Korea has put out some of the most entertaining films I've ever seen in recent years. Incindentally they're all crime films/thrillers. So, without further ado:
Save The Green Planet (2003): Already discussed here (http://www.revleft.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1880620&postcount=16).
Oldboy (2003): Does anything really need to be said about this? It's fairly well known, and most people here have probably seen or heard of it, as well as the rest of the "Vengeance Trilogy". I'll just say that it deserves it's reputation and leave it at that.
Memories Of Murder (2003): 2003 was a good year for S. Korean movies, apparently. This is definitely in the top 5 true crime movies that I've ever seen. The story of the "first" serial killer/rapist who stalked women in a rural S. Korean province, it mainly focuses on the personas and interactions of the two main characters, both detectives. One (Kang-ho Song) belongs to the "old school" of detectives, using torture and his own instincts to "solve" cases. The other (Sang-kyung Kim) is a more cultured, modern detective from Seoul. Obviously this difference does not promote harmony in the ranks, as the killer continues to strangle women and the police continue to get nowhere. Several leads pop up but continue to dead-end, as the audience gets just as frusterated as the two main characters. This movie is a serious case of blue-ball cinema, as there is no real satisfying conclusion (the real life killer was never caught), but I think that's part of the reason I like it so much. The ending of this stuck with me for a while.
The Chaser (2008): A former detective-turned-pimp (Yun-seok Kim) is suffering financially. Turns out that a number of his girls are disappearing. He suspects initially that they're running away, but later considers the fact that they might be getting abducted and sold. He sets up a trap for the man (Jung-woo Ha) suspected of selling of them, but things go very, very wrong for the "bait", an attractive prostitute (Yeong-hie Seo) who joins the ranks of the disappeared. It turns out that this man is a lot more dangerous than simply a rival pimp trying to undercut the competition.
When I initially watched, I was suprised at the fact that the main antagonist falls into police custody within the first 30 minutes or so of the film's 2 hour+ long running time. I was expecting another Memories Of Murder-type film. I'm glad that I stuck with it, though, as this is a very taut thriller which is also based on a true story. You have to keep reminding yourself of that fact when your disbelief is stretched by the mind-boggling incompetency of the S. Korean police...from what I gather this part of the story is actually portrayed in realistic fashion.
I Saw The Devil (2010): The best for last. Holy shit this movie is awesome. It stars the dude from Oldboy (Min-sik Choi) as a dangerous, disgusting, lethargic sexual predator/murderer and one Byung-hun Lee as a unrelenting, equally violent bodyguard/special agent with ice in his heart and fire in his eyes after Choi's character murders his fiancee. These two men are pitted against each other in a ruthless vendetta that spans across S. Korea. The performances are legendary: Choi as a pervert w/ a deeply affected psychosis that doesn't recognize pain or fear, and Lee as vengeance and rage personified. It's the old story of "what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?" The set-pieces/direction/atmosphere in the film is remarkable, as well...there's one particular scene involving three characters in a moving car that no one who see's it is likely to forget any time soon. It's very violent, though, so violent that it's been effectively banned from showing in it's home country of S. Korea, so you've been warned.
Save The Green Planet (2003): Already discussed here (http://www.revleft.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1880620&postcount=16).
Oldboy (2003): Does anything really need to be said about this? It's fairly well known, and most people here have probably seen or heard of it, as well as the rest of the "Vengeance Trilogy". I'll just say that it deserves it's reputation and leave it at that.
Memories Of Murder (2003): 2003 was a good year for S. Korean movies, apparently. This is definitely in the top 5 true crime movies that I've ever seen. The story of the "first" serial killer/rapist who stalked women in a rural S. Korean province, it mainly focuses on the personas and interactions of the two main characters, both detectives. One (Kang-ho Song) belongs to the "old school" of detectives, using torture and his own instincts to "solve" cases. The other (Sang-kyung Kim) is a more cultured, modern detective from Seoul. Obviously this difference does not promote harmony in the ranks, as the killer continues to strangle women and the police continue to get nowhere. Several leads pop up but continue to dead-end, as the audience gets just as frusterated as the two main characters. This movie is a serious case of blue-ball cinema, as there is no real satisfying conclusion (the real life killer was never caught), but I think that's part of the reason I like it so much. The ending of this stuck with me for a while.
The Chaser (2008): A former detective-turned-pimp (Yun-seok Kim) is suffering financially. Turns out that a number of his girls are disappearing. He suspects initially that they're running away, but later considers the fact that they might be getting abducted and sold. He sets up a trap for the man (Jung-woo Ha) suspected of selling of them, but things go very, very wrong for the "bait", an attractive prostitute (Yeong-hie Seo) who joins the ranks of the disappeared. It turns out that this man is a lot more dangerous than simply a rival pimp trying to undercut the competition.
When I initially watched, I was suprised at the fact that the main antagonist falls into police custody within the first 30 minutes or so of the film's 2 hour+ long running time. I was expecting another Memories Of Murder-type film. I'm glad that I stuck with it, though, as this is a very taut thriller which is also based on a true story. You have to keep reminding yourself of that fact when your disbelief is stretched by the mind-boggling incompetency of the S. Korean police...from what I gather this part of the story is actually portrayed in realistic fashion.
I Saw The Devil (2010): The best for last. Holy shit this movie is awesome. It stars the dude from Oldboy (Min-sik Choi) as a dangerous, disgusting, lethargic sexual predator/murderer and one Byung-hun Lee as a unrelenting, equally violent bodyguard/special agent with ice in his heart and fire in his eyes after Choi's character murders his fiancee. These two men are pitted against each other in a ruthless vendetta that spans across S. Korea. The performances are legendary: Choi as a pervert w/ a deeply affected psychosis that doesn't recognize pain or fear, and Lee as vengeance and rage personified. It's the old story of "what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?" The set-pieces/direction/atmosphere in the film is remarkable, as well...there's one particular scene involving three characters in a moving car that no one who see's it is likely to forget any time soon. It's very violent, though, so violent that it's been effectively banned from showing in it's home country of S. Korea, so you've been warned.