Reviews

This movie threatens to be a run-of-the-mill action movie, but manages to create its own identity. The sameness is how it shows most of its bad guys, and there are plenty, as one dimensionally evil. There are children who are put in harm's way, but not gratuitously--for the most part--providing the hero with a chance to be human.

It's very Korean in its thinking, which is always refreshing to me. Saying that, I was surprised by how much it reminded me of TAXI DRIVER. It's not a re-tread by any means, but it almost felt like the director was paying tribute to the earlier film in a couple of scenes. I have no idea if this is true. Most people I have talked to about this movie have never seen the other.

This is an action film and it does not disappoint on that level. Some of it is pretty brutal, but by the finale you will most likely feel that everyone gets what they deserve and, if anything, a few deserved more. This is because they manage to build characters we care about with out slowing down too much. The pacing is nicely done with properly placed comic moments as well. Some of the humor was a bit dark, which was also nice.

What surprised me was how much I cared for the main characters. The child was sweet but not overly so. I'm used to the child being inserted for sentimental or "Ahhhh" effects--like in the first RUSH HOUR--but that is mostly avoided here and it feels much more genuine over all.

There are cruel moments in the film but the film itself did not feel cruel. That is why I liked it. So often films are either mindless, or mean-spirited, and this one avoided these pit-falls.

I'm a 44 year old English teacher in Korea and have had to listen to my students praise these movies and beg me to watch them ever since they started coming out. I resisted because I obviously wasn't in it's target audience. I do like good vampire stories, but this series didn't seem to be it. That said, I broke down and saw the movie.

Wow, it was just a movie. Nothing hideous; easy to follow even though I'd never seen its predecessors or read any of the books. Over all, the feeling is hyper-melodramatic and that makes it drag a bit. But is that enough to make so many people dislike it so strongly? Why do we always need things blowing up and jumping from one scene to another? The drama felt grounded, the flaws in acting felt like weaknesses inherent in the actors' young age and/or the character's young age. Pattison is 24 and his character is supposed to be so aged but he comes off so naive and younger than his actual age. Lautner just comes off really young. I like the way he projects a young person's seriousness when they think they fully understand all the emotions they have, but they don't, really, because it's just their first time. He really came off well portraying someone having deep feelings for someone else for the first time and the awkwardness that goes along with that. As for Stewart, I saw The Runaways first and was afraid I was just going to feel like I was just seeing Joan Jet again. I was happy that it wasn't true. I don't know if her Bella matches the one in the books, but it is separate from the other characters I've seen her play, and that was nice. She shows talent. All the other characters threatened to be over-shadowed by the leads and the central triangle. That's why I enjoyed the flashbacks giving more information about some of the secondary characters.

Over all, I connected with it far more than the Underworld series. The landscapes are gorgeous and the cinematography is nice if not exceptional. For all its action and violence, I found it to be a quiet movie about one girl's dilemma between two guys. As such, it held my attention surprisingly well.

I am an American that has lived in Korea a few years. I have not really learned the language but I understand the culture and style of the country. I have seen several movies in the theaters here which means no sub-titles. I prefer it that way no matter what language the movie is in.

That said, I saw this movie a month ago and am still impressed by it. It's the story of women criminals doing time for their crimes. The 3 main characters are in for murder. These I know for sure because their stories are presented in flash-backs. The 2 younger ones killed in self-defense, really, but the 'grandmother' of the title was a little more cold blooded. One of the women delivers her baby while in prison--this is the opening scene. She is allowed to keep the baby until after his 1st birthday, then she must give him up. The major part of the movie focuses on the mother organizing a prison choir. Yes, this part reminded me pretty strongly of SISTER ACT. The choir, of course, helps the inmates to work through their differences and bond, to a point. The grandmother becomes the choir director. Also, the main character who loves music but is tone-deaf--whenever she tries to sing a lullaby to her baby, he cries hysterically--learns to sing, coached by the inmate that had previously caused the most problems. After the child is separated from his mother, she pushes for the choir to be able to perform outside the prison in hope of being able to see her son one more time.

HARMONY is the perfect title for this movie because the word is Korean for grandmother as well as having the English meaning that coincides with the choral storyline. The movie was incredibly touching even though it does not seem overly grounded in reality. Some of the things the prisoners are allowed to do did not seem plausible to this foreigner. However, if you suspend your disbelief and enter the world constructed by this film, it is very rewarding in a very tearful, touching way. Although the film is filled with clichés, I was happy to see that most of the women-in-chains clichés seen in American movies are absent. The movie worked for me because I could believe the motivations and actions of the main characters. I was frequently surprised by the scenes captured on film involving the little boy. Some of those images were just priceless.

So, if you are into touching movies and are not afraid to cry, check this one out . . . if it ever wanders into a theater in your country.