Category Archives: Korean

Tiger: An Old Hunter’s Tale, The (2015) Review

AKA: The Tiger Director: Park Hoon-Jung Cast: Choi Min-Sik, Jeong Man-Sik, Kim Sang-Ho, Sung Yoo-Bin, Ren Osugi, Jung Suk-Won, Ra Mi-Ran, Yoo Jae-Myung, Kim Hong-Fa, Woo Jung-Kook Running Time: 139 min. By Paul Bramhall In 2015 Korean history was a hot topic, mainly due to President Park Geun-hye’s hugely unpopular decision to replace all high school history text books, currently produced by private publishers, with anonymously written government-issued ones by … Continue reading

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Shaolin: The Blood Mission | aka The Fourth Largest Shaolin Temple (1984) Review

"Shaolin: The Blood Mission" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Park Woo-sang Writer: Hong Chi-Yun Cast: Hwang Jang Lee, Ho Kei Cheong, Suen Kwok Ming, Poon Cheung, Luo Hua-Sheng, Olivia Hung, Park Dong-yeol, Lee Jin-Yeong, Kim Ki-Bum Running Time: 85 min. By Paul Bramhall The name of Korean director Park Woo-sang may not be immediately familiar to many, and understandably so. However once the filmmaker immigrated to America, he continued to direct under a different name – Richard Park – … Continue reading

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Enter the Invincible Hero | aka Secret Bandit of Black Leopard (1981) Review

"Enter the Invincible Hero" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Si-hyun Cast: Dragon Lee (Mun Kyong-sok), Casanova Wong, Chui Man Fooi, Lee Ye Min, Cheung Ching Kwok, Gam Hei Wang, Seo Jeong Ah, Chen Shao Lung Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Deciphering who directed what and when in the old school Korean kung fu genre is a head scratching exercise at the best of times. It’s common knowledge that many of the countries’ contributions to the … Continue reading

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Wild Panther | aka The Pursuit (1984) Review

"Wild Panther" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Tso Nam Writer: Cheung San Yee Producer: Lim Kee Chye Cast: Chen Shan, Don Wong Tao, Eagle Han Ying, Ching Kuo Chung, Peng Kang, Ho Hing Nam Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall Taiwanese director Lee Tso Nam should be a name recognizable to anyone who considers themselves a fan of kung fu cinema. Active in the industry since the early 70’s, and still active today, he’s … Continue reading

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Seoul (2002) Review

"Seoul" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Masahiko Nagasawa Cast: Tomoya Nagase, Choi Min-Soo, Hoon Jang, Sung Choi, Jin-myung Go, Shim-young Hahm, Hun-suk Jung, Ki-won Kang, Dong-wook Kim, Ji-youn Kim, Chan-young Lee, Do-hyung Lee, Kyung-hwan Park Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall Seoul is an interesting curiosity of a movie. It looks, feels, and sounds like an early 2000’s Korean action flick, however it is in fact a Japanese production. Distributed by the legendary Toho … Continue reading

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Say Yes (2001) Review

Director: Kim Sung-hong Writer: Yeo Hye-yeong Producer: Hwang Gi-Seong Cast: Park Joong-hoon, Chu Sang-Mi, Kim Ju-Hyeok, Gi Ju-Bong, Lee Chang-Yeong Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall Think of Asian horror during the late 90’s and early 2000’s, and the image that comes to mind will most likely be one of a long black haired female ghost. The 1998 Japanese movie Ring triggered a whole host of Asian horror movies, … Continue reading

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Advocate: A Missing Body, The (2015) Review

Director: Huh Jong-Ho Cast: Lee Sun-Kyun, Kim Go-Eun, Lim Won-Hee, Jang Hyun-Sung, Hong Sung-Duk, Kim Yoon-hye, Kwak In-joon, Choi Jae-woong, Park Ji-yeong Running Time: 117 min. By Paul Bramhall Korean cinema has a habit of churning out inferior copycats to the movies that make an impact both on home soil and overseas. That’s why for every The Man from Nowhere we have a Man of Vendetta, and for every Masquerade … Continue reading

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Memories of the Sword (2015) Review

Memories of the Sword | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Park Heung-Sik Cast: Lee Byung-Hun, Jeon Do-Yeon, Kim Go-Eun, Lee Joon-Ho, Lee Kyoung-Young, Kim Tae-Woo, Bae Soo-Bin, Kim Soo-Ahn, Moon Sung-Geun Running Time: 121 min. By Paul Bramhall Korean cinema continues to create some of the most original and innovative movies for audiences to enjoy, however just like many other countries, it also has a film industry that likes to follow trends. If a movie makes it big, a … Continue reading

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Assassination (2015) Review

"Assassination" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Choi Dong-hun Cast: Jeon Ji-hyeon, Lee Jung-Jae, Ha Jung-Woo, Cho Jin-Woong, Choi Duk-Moon, Oh Dal-Su, Heo Ji-Won, Lee Kyoung-Young, Kim Eui-Sung, Park Byung-Eun Running Time: 139 min. By Paul Bramhall Director Choi Dong-hoon has built up an impressive resume since he burst onto the scene with the heist thriller The Big Swindle in 2003. With each successive movie, both the budget and the stakes have increased, with his last … Continue reading

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Dragon’s Snake Fist, The (1981) Review

"The Dragon's Snake Fist" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Iron Head Director: Kim Si Hyeon Cast: Dragon Lee (Mun Kyong-sok), Yuen Qiu, Chui Man Fooi, Gam Kei Chu, Bruce Lai, Kim Young Suk, Seo Jeong-Ah, Moon Jeong Kum, Gam Gei-Fan Running Time: 83 min. By Martin Sandison In the barren wasteland of UK DVD releases of classic kung fu films, one company has taken it upon themselves to be a beacon of light. The company called Terracotta has … Continue reading

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Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin (1979) Review

"Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin" Chinese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Golden Gate Director: Kim Seon-gyeong Cast: Casanova Wong (aka Ka Sat Fat), Eagle Han Ying, Gam Ching Lan, Elton Chong (aka Jeong Jin Hwa), Hyeon Kil-Su, Martin Chui Man-Fooi, Austin Wai Running Time: 91 min. By Paul Bramhall Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin is a sure contender for having one of the greatest kung fu movie titles, and there’s plenty of competition out there. However as grand a title as … Continue reading

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For the Emperor (2014) Review

Director: Park Sang-Joon Cast: Lee Min-Ki, Park Sung-Woong, Lee Tae-Im, Kim Jong-Goo, Lee Jae-Won, Han Jae-Young, Lee Yoo-Joon, Jung Heung-Chae, Park Jin-Woo Running Time: 104 min. By Kyle Warner In his first years playing in the pros, pitcher Lee Hwan (Lee Min-ki) was a rising star. After an injury hurts his career, Hwan starts rigging his games and earning money on the side. When he’s arrested for illegal gambling, Hwan … Continue reading

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Daisy (2006) Review

"Daisy" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Andrew Lau Writer: Felix Chong Producer: Hoon-tak Jung Cast: Jeong Woo-Sung, Jun Ji-Hyun (Gianna Jun), Lee Sung-jae, Cheon Ho-Jin, Simon Yam Tat Wah, David Chiang Da Wei, Yu Sun-Cheol, Dion Lam Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall On paper Daisy reads like an Asian action thriller fan’s dream. A Korea and Hong Kong co-production (which translates to Korea being in-front of the camera and Hong Kong being behind … Continue reading

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Shadowless Sword (2005) Review

"Shadowless Sword" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Young-Jun Cast: Yun So-Yi, Lee Seo-Jin, Shin Hyun-Joon, Lee Gi-Yong, Jeong Ho-Bin, Park Seong-Woong Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall The words ‘Korean’ and ‘wuxia’ are not really two which you’d immediately think of putting together. The Korean film industry has gained a reputation for producing high quality entries in the likes of the gangster, revenge thriller, and melodrama genres. On the other hand, the wuxia genre … Continue reading

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Soo | aka Art of Revenge (2007) Review

"Soo" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Yoichi Sai Ji Jin-Hee, Kang Sung-Yeon, Moon Sung-Geun, Lee Ki-Young, Oh Man-Seok, Jo Kyeong-Hwan, Kim Jun-Bae, Choi Duk-Moon, Choi Jung-Woo, Lee Jae-Gu Running Time: 122 min. By HKFanatic Soo is not a movie I ever hear listed in the same breath as other Korean revenge flicks like Oldboy or A Bittersweet Life. In fact, it’s not a movie that I ever hear listed at all! It’s a shame this … Continue reading

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