There's something about the energy, emotion, humor and honesty about Korean cinema of the last twenty years that I find completely engrossing.
I had no idea that this was a Korean movie when I was first watching it on Netflix, but the earthiness and directness of the characters made it clear that it could not be from any other Asian country other than South Korea.
Almost none of these movies depend on special effects or CGI; they just depend on great casting, acting, directing, writing and action. Of course, there are some Korean duds, but the vast majority of these films succeed because they don't depend on ridiculous gun fights, which only serve to take you out of the picture. They also don't depend on unrealistic martial arts scenes, which also remove you from the story. The directors strive for entertaining realism, which seems to be lacking in almost all of today's cinema. The characters in this film are not the genius detective, the all-knowing child, or the master criminal. They are a mentally challenged woman, an abandoned child, a psychotic killer, and a bunch of greedy criminals. Don't waste your time analyzing every aspect of the film, just enjoy it for what it is.
I had no idea that this was a Korean movie when I was first watching it on Netflix, but the earthiness and directness of the characters made it clear that it could not be from any other Asian country other than South Korea.
Almost none of these movies depend on special effects or CGI; they just depend on great casting, acting, directing, writing and action. Of course, there are some Korean duds, but the vast majority of these films succeed because they don't depend on ridiculous gun fights, which only serve to take you out of the picture. They also don't depend on unrealistic martial arts scenes, which also remove you from the story. The directors strive for entertaining realism, which seems to be lacking in almost all of today's cinema. The characters in this film are not the genius detective, the all-knowing child, or the master criminal. They are a mentally challenged woman, an abandoned child, a psychotic killer, and a bunch of greedy criminals. Don't waste your time analyzing every aspect of the film, just enjoy it for what it is.