Fantastic movie! Didn't know what to expect but it had a great story, good pacing and spot-on acting by Ji Chang Wook and the rest of the cast. The movie definitely has its serious moments which I personally think was necessary to invest the audience with the sense of justice that Kwon Yoo, the protagonist, feels is due to him. Great edge of your seat action, right amount of suspense to make you wonder about what will happen next, at times laugh-out-loud wit and comic sense, and great acting by the cast. And of course, all of this brought on by great execution by director Park Kwang Hyun.
Movies like this make me think positively about the future of Korean cinema because outside the smoke and mirrors of domestic and international awards, what Korean cinema lacks is tight execution and good old storytelling of otherwise creative concepts. Sometimes I feel Korean movies focus too much on sensationalism (be it gruesomeness or eroticism bordering on pornography), technical camera work and production value rather than storytelling, character development and execution. It's nice to see a movie that is well- made and reminds us of the fun of going to the movies. Nicely done.
