With a record more than four million moviegoers since its release on Feb. 14 release in South Korea, “The Chaser” is a major hit film and has become the year highest grossing Korean movie to date. Following the filmmaking traditions of well-made thrillers, "The Chaser" exhibits a tight plot, impressive acting and relentless speed. In his brilliant directorial and screenwriting debut, helmer Na Hong Jin presents a crime thriller loosely based on a real-life infamous serial killer who murdered more than twenty victims - mostly prostitutes. Few years ago Korean society was shocked by horrible serial killer mayhem. Dozen of call-girls are disappeared and never returned when they visited unknown customer. The serial killer also murdered innocent old men and women on his loose. After caught of serial killer the revealed fact was beyond one's imagination. He killed girls with hammer, chisels and amputated the victims. Some of them were cannibalized. He mashed victim's liver with food processors and drank it. Now the serial killer is sentenced to death and his existence throw serious questions about execution of death sentenced prisoner to the Korean society. For ten years Korean government never executed prisoners and now UN approved Korea as a No Execution country. Took the crime as the main plot, make the story full of twist and turns and showcases the acting ability of the actors. What that you’ll really like about this film is that it shows the insignificance and the inefficiency of the Korean Police and how the public and the people who depend of the police to protect them are being short changed.
Kim Yoon-seok, the award-winning supporting actor from "Tazza: The High Rollers" ("The War of Flower") and the familiar face from "The Happy Life", nails down his first lead role as Jung-ho, an antihero who gives a bad first impression. He's a former cop who got fired for bribery, and now runs a so-called door-to-door masseuse service, which is really a sordid call girl business. Jung-ho is in a sour mood as one call girl vanishes after another. When Mi-jin (Seo Yeong-hee) disappears he notices that they've gone missing after getting a call from the same client, or cell phone number. He suspects human trafficking and sets out to catch the culprit, grumbling how much money he had paid for the girls. "4885? That’s you, right? If I catch you, you're dead", he says. Jung-ho does track him down, but it's far from heroic. He accidentally crashes into the guy while driving recklessly.” I didn't traffic them… I killed them. But that woman (Mi-jin) is probably alive", killer Ji Myeong-min (Ha Jeong-woo) "casually" mentions to the police. What's more, he can't seem to remember the exact number of his victims, was it 10 or 12? The police have hit the jackpot, as Myeong-min claims to be responsible for a bunch of unsolved serial murders. They try to put a case together in a desperate attempt to save face after a notorious incident that had literally dung-slapped the Seoul mayor. While the cops are busy poking around in all the wrong places to retrieve evidence, Jung-ho, convinced that Mi-jin is still alive, embarks on his own investigation. It's because she is a valuable asset for business, not a sense of social responsibility. But corrupt politics among the police and prosecutors, media play and other mishaps set the killer free. A breathtaking chase ensues.
Providing a completely unusual approach to a crime thriller genre film. What's remarkable about this movie is that it lets us know who’s the bad guy right from the beginning of the film. It shows what its cards are, but still controlling the game completely from the beginning to the very end, without ever giving out any dull moment in its two hours duration which will fly by in no time. Score: 4,5 stars out of 5
Special Features: - Pre-Production - Production Notes - Scene Story - The Chaser and the Chased - Deleted Scenes - Poster Shooting Scenes - Teaser - Trailer - TV Spot
If you’re new to the “Death Note” series, you might not know that it first started off in 2003 as a serialized manga (“comic” in Japanese). The manga was a hit with readers with its distinctive plot, which tread the murky waters that separates ‘good’ and ‘evil’. Taking a different stance from the classic Good VS Evil dynamic, the creators of “Death Note“ Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata chose to throw a curve ball in the languishing manga scene. Death Note’s story is decidedly Machiavellian. The protagonist Yagami Light is an anti-hero in every way. Light discovers the eponymous Death Note one day and slowly deciphers the cryptic words written in the book, with his pen and the Death Note’s owner, shinigami (Death God) Ryuku goading him, his curiosity gets the better of him and he writes a criminal’s name – said criminal dies a few minutes later. Light’s philosophy is to cleanse the world of evil and create an utopia where he will reign as God. His actions earn him the moniker of “Kira” and the world, like the readers of the manga, are swept into a confounding discourse over whether the end justifies the means. Bring in L, a top notch detective with a weakness for sweets. He takes on the task of tracking down and capturing Kira and travels to Tokyo in order to do so. If appearances can be deceiving, the genius L looks like well, a bum. Often barefooted and with disheveled hair, L hardly looks capable of pitting himself against fellow genius Light. Now, those all were the story from the blockbuster “Death Note” and its sequel “The Last Name”, which then created “L: Change the World”, the spin-off of both films. Stealing the show with his performance in the two Death Note films, Matsuyama Kenichi reprises his fan-favorite role as the quirky genius detective with a sweet tooth and thick eyeliner, “L”. The story will more focus on the early life of the eccentric detective L when he was in the U.S, and also about his life after the events of the previous two “Death Note” films, and it was an original material which is not based on the story of the manga or anime (a novel adaptation was released roughly one month before the film premiere). Directed by Nakata Hideo of J-Horror “Ring” and “Dark Water” fame.
The plot cleverly takes place during the final twenty-three days of L's existence, which were predetermined because L wrote his own name in the Death Note in order to trap Light in “Death Note: The Last Name”. With faithful retainer Watari (Shunji Fujimura) having departed at the end of that film, L is now alone, but he remains focused on his detective work. He begins his final days by refusing the temptation to wield the Death Note himself, burning the offending notes and then proceeding to solve even more crimes remotely for Interpol via laptop computer and various undecipherable charts and statistics. He also continues to devour sweets at a rate that would send your average person into a permanent sugar coma. One final case finds L when a series of connected events converge on his doorstep. L reestablishes contact with K, a member of Wammy's House, the prodigy-raising thinktank that gave birth to L, as well as numerous other letter-named geniuses (no word if James Bond's Q is a member of the ranks). Also, former colleague F dies after discovering a terrible virus in Thailand, but sends L an odd messenger: a young boy who's immune to the virus, and just so happens to be a whiz with numbers. Finally, 12 year-old Maki (Mayuko Fukuda) shows up on L's doorstep bearing another strain of the same virus. Her father Nikaido (Shingo Tsurumi) developed the virus, but some nefarious baddies want control of it. Their goal: to change the world. The bad guys want to provoke an outbreak of this new virus - which is described as a fun combination of the flu and Ebola - so that they can eliminate the majority of the human race, ridding the planet of useless people while also preserving the environment. Oh, they may also be able to make a few bucks on the side.
There is nothing particularly wrong with the movie as an action adventure - the storyline flows smoothly. However, fans of the intelligence and innocence of L will be disappointed to know that his brains took up a ceremonial backseat for most of the movie. (Score: 2,5 stars out of 5)
- Death Note (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Popular manga series Death Note first appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump in December 2003. With its anti-hero protagonist, dark psychological themes, innovative premise, and unpredictable plot twists, Death Note was an instant hit, amassing an avid readership in its three years of serialization. It was later published in a 12-volume set in multiple languages, selling 18 million copies worldwide. In summer 2006, the film version of Death Note, starring Fujiwara Tatsuya and Matsuyama Kenichi became a blockbuster success throughout Asia.
- Death Note : The Last Name (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Far more a continuation than a sequel, "Death Note: The Last Name" follows the immensely popular and entertaining Death Note. The agile game of cat-and-cat continues between Light (Tatsuya Fujiwara) and L (Ken'ichi Matsuyama). Tables are turned, fortunes are reversed, and a new Death Note and shinigami comes into play.
Daniel Lee’s “Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon” which based on the epic Chinese novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” by Luo Guanzhong, is the second of the big-budget Chinese epics after Jet Li’s “The Warlords”, which came out in late 2007. Some parts of this movie sparks of great brilliant in capturing the attraction of the Romance of the Three Kingdom, particularity in the aspect of strategy, loyalty between brotherhood and the omniscience power of fate. Set in China, 228 A.D., during a time of great warfare, with the country divided into three kingdoms — Wei, Shu, and Wu. Zhao Zilong (Andy Lau) is a citizen of Shu, he is an idealistic young man enlisting for the good fight with dreams of uniting his country for the better. Destiny then brings him to meet the robust Ping-an (Sammo Hung), a veteran of the wars, who also hails from the same village as Zilong. After a string of daring victories against the armies of Lord Cao (Damian Lau), including one of those great mainstays of Chinese cinema, the one-versus-1000 battle, Zilong quickly rises through the ranks. He eventually attains greatness, earning the nickname “The Invincible General”, and goes on a three decades long campaign to unite the country. Through the many years of war, tides rise and ebb for the Kingdom of Shu and comrades fall one by one, leaving Zhao alone as the invincible general. With his legacy at stake, Zhao leads his final expedition against a Wei army now headed by Cao Cao's granddaughter Cao Ying (Maggie Q).
Review: While the film certainly attempts too much and fails too often, especially in the first hour, it makes up for a lot of stumbling and flailing with an excellent and captivating Third Act. Star Andy Lau once again shows why he’s one of the biggest draws in the Chinese film industry, and Maggie Q. proves she has star-making potential in the right vehicle. And while I could have done without director Daniel Lee’s ’90s blurry action style, Lee does get bonus points for some very odd choices in the film’ musical score. Every now and then, as characters ride out to do battle, I thought I was watching a Sergio Leone Western. That was unexpected, but definitely interesting. (Nix – Beyond Hollywood)
The Restless The Restless is indeed a masterpiece in Korean film-making in terms of technical aspects. This fantasy-adventure will definitely charm the audience with its gorgeous execution in set designs. It is not a piece of contemporary Wuxia but more of an overindulgent fantasy epic that has gained mass international appeal. The film is also geared for action/CGI fan boys. The film may have some difficulty connecting to some viewers and some may consider the film very superficial. There's good and evil, love and hate; but it all seems to have been overshadowed by its stunning visuals that it seemed to lack credibility. It may be a little difficult to wow an audience if all you have going is the action and grand sets. The story set in ancient Korea, where demon slayer Yi Gwak (Woo-sung Jung) collapses from the effects of a poisoned wine glass after battling a fierce group of demonic forces. He wakes up later to find himself in a strange and unusual city, a place that he has never seen before. As he talks with a friendly stranger, he slowly comes to the conclusion that he has awaken in the land of Joongcheon, a Buddhist purgatory, where spirits remain for 49 days until they are reincarnated back to Earth. Not only has he landed in the afterlife, but he encounters his deceased wife. His deceased wife is now reincarnated as So-Hwa, a member of the White Repears that defends Joongcheon from evil forces. Soon, all hell breaks loose in Joongcheon when the demonic forces invades Joongcheon and tries to capture the Holy Stone that is in the possession of So-Hwa. Yi-Gwak must now fight the evil forces to save Joongcheon and maintain the cycle of life that will ultimately save the Earth.
Review: The problem is that while the martial arts sequences in “The Restless” are well done and clearly demonstrates competency from every celluloid pore, they are not overly original, and as a result they won’t stand out from equally vacuous, but impressively designed efforts such as “The Promise” or “The Banquet”. Likewise with the creative Mid-heaven landscape. In the cinematic world post-”Lord of the Rings”, it’s hard to wow the audience with grand CGI vistas and huge sets if that’s all the ammunition you have. “The Restless” does not have those highly original moments to make it stand out, and its lack of character and story depth makes it yet another forgettable foray into CGI fantasy. (Nix – Beyond Hollywood)
Another big-budgeter Chinese epic from director Tony Ching Siu Tung, who previously handled the action for Zhang Yimou's “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers”, as well as numerous martial arts classics. This lavish tale that filled with action and romance is starred by Hong Kong top-notch stars including the Canton-pop queen Kelly Chen, Leon Lai and action superstar Donnie Yen. Yan Feier (Kelly Chen) is thrust into the role of empress when her father the King is viciously murdered by his own nephew, Wu Ba (Guo Xiao Dong). His treachery unknown to Feier, Wu Ba plots to gain control of the kingdom for himself. Meanwhile, Feier turns to legendary warrior Brother Hu (Donnie Yen) to instruct her in the ways of warfare. But Wu Ba sends assassins after Feier, and she's poisoned by an assassin's dart before being lost in the woods. Her absence throws the kingdom into chaos, and Brother Hu must maintain morale, all the while carrying a hidden love for his missing empress. Meanwhile, Feier is found and nursed back to health by Duan Lanquan (Leon Lai), a doctor who lives in a secluded forest treehouse. Lanquan awakens the woman within the warrior's armor, and given the alternative of a peaceful life without war, Feier must eventually make a difficult choice. Should she choose love, and remain just a woman? Or should she choose her kingdom, and return to being an empress?
Review: “Empress and the Warriors” is in many ways a combination of new and old Hong Kong Cinema. Its settings, scale, and the grandeur it implies are very much new, keeping with the vogue for elaborate Ancient Chinese action-dramas that started with “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon “and continued with a zillion other movies starring Zhang Ziyi. However, the glossed-over details, deliberate cuteness, and shifting tone feel more like those early nineties wuxia that mixed flying kung-fu with sloppy production values and bizarre hijinks. Those films were frequently uneven, yet still entertaining, and Empress almost pulls off the same trick here. (Kozo – LoveHKFilm)
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