This film is simply brilliant. Makes Scorsese's Goodfellas look like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (no offence, Marty...but this is even better than the film you decided to remake). I was spellbound from the opening scene til the end credits. I love a "span the generations" gangster film. This one is truly on par with the Godfather part 2, if not (dare I say it) better? Director/writer Kyung-taek Kwak proves himself a major force in Korean cinema, and I'm sure has even ruffled the feathers of the great Chan-wook Park with this one (well, maybe not "ruffled," as Park has since directed Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, and I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, and Kwak has fallen to "Typhoon.") That all said, at least we know he has it in him, even if it was just a fluke. Certainly the best Asian film of 2001. 9 of 10 stars.
