Category Archives: Korean

Believer (2018) Review

June 3, 2018 Paul Bramhall
"Believer" Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Hae-Young Cast: Cho Jin-Woong, Ryoo Joon-Yeol, Cha Seung-Won, Kim Ju-Hyeok, Jin Seo-Yeon, Park Hae-Joon, Kim Sung-Ryoung, Kim Dong-Young, Lee Joo-Young Running Time: 123 min. By Paul Bramhall Five years after Cold Eyes, a Korean remake of the Milkyway Image thriller Eye in the Sky, another of the Hong Kong production company’s titles receives the same treatment, this time in the form of Believer. The source material is Johnnie … Continue reading →

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Champion (2018) Review

May 17, 2018 Paul Bramhall

Director: Kim Yong-Wan Producer: Han Dong-Hwan Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Kwon Yool, Han Ye-Ri, Choi Seung-Hoon, Ok Ye-Rin, Yang Hyun-Min, Kang Shin-Hyo, Lee Kyoo-Ho, Bae Myung-Ho, Kim Dong-Hyun Running Time: 108 min. By Paul Bramhall In 1987 Sylvester Stallone famously headlined the arm wrestling movie Over the Top, having agreed to star in it believing that, in all likelihood, nobody would watch it. He was wrong, of course, as despite its … Continue reading →

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Merciless, The (2017) Review

April 25, 2018 Martin Sandison
"The Merciless" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Byun Sung-Hyun Writer: Byun Sung-Hyun Cast: Sol Kyung-Gu, Siwan, Kim Hee-Won, Jeon Hye-Jin, Lee Kyoung-Young, Jang In-Sub, Kim Sung-Oh, Choi Byung-Mo, Heo Jun-Ho, Kim Ji-Hoon Running Time: 120 min. By Martin Sandison Since its inception in the mid-90’s, the Korean noir genre just keeps producing gems. Movies such as Lee Chang-dong’s Green Fish, Kim Jee-woon’s A Bittersweet Life and Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy are a few of the all-time classics; … Continue reading →

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Mimic, The (2017) Review

April 5, 2018 Paul Bramhall
"The Mimic" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Huh Jung Cast: Yum Jung-Ah, Park Hyuk-Kwon, Shin Rin-Ah, Heo Jin, Lee Joon-Hyuk, Kil Hae-Yeon, Lee Yool, Noh Susanna, Lim Jong-Yun, Jung Ji-Hoon, Hwang Jae-Won Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Director and screenwriter Huh Jung made a strong impression with his 2013 debut Hide and Seek (which received a Chinese remake of the same name), a claustrophobic horror that posed the question – what if someone else was … Continue reading →

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Seven Years of Night (2018) Review

March 30, 2018 Paul Bramhall
"7 Years of Night" Theatrical Poster

Director: Choo Chang-min Writer: Jung Yoo-Jung Cast: Ryoo Seung-Ryong, Jang Dong-Gun, Song Sae-Byeok, Ko Gyung-Pyo, Moon Jeong-Hee Running Time: 123 min. By Paul Bramhall The theme of a parent seeking to avenge a wrong doing against their child has been one that’s gained plenty of mileage since the beginning of the Korean wave. From Park Chan-wook’s Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance in 2002, through to more recent entries such as Lee Kyoung-mi’s The … Continue reading →

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Outlaws, The (2017) Review

March 16, 2018 Z Ravas
"The Outlaws" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Kang Yoon-Sung Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Yoon Kye-Sang, Jo Jae-Yun, Choi Gwi-Hwa, rk Ji-Hwan, Hong Ki-Joon Running Time: 121 min. By Z Ravas I walked away from 2016’s smash hit Train to Busan with a distinct impression that supporting actor Ma Dong-seok had stolen the movie – no small feat in a film about a train full of rabid zombies! Although I’d caught the actor in plenty of parts before, including Kundo: Age of … Continue reading →

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Battleship Island, The (2017) Review

March 12, 2018 Z Ravas
"Battleship Island" Theatrical Poster

Director: Ryoo Seung-wan Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, So Ji-Sub, Song Joong-Ki, Lee Jung-Hyun, Kim Soo-Ahn, Kim In-Woo, Kim Joong-Hee, Lee Kyoung-Young, Shin Seung-Hwan, Ahn Se-Ho Running Time: 132 min. By Z Ravas Although director Ryoo Seung-wan has engaged in big-budget spectacle in the recent past – 2013’s The Berlin File felt like the filmmaker’s attempt to top the Bourne trilogy, and long before that he’d dabbled in the superhero (Arahan) and spoof (Dachimawa … Continue reading →

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Swindlers, The (2017) Review

March 8, 2018 Paul Bramhall
"Swindlers" Theatrical Poster

Director: Jang Chang-Won Cast: Hyun-Bin, Yoo Ji-Tae, Bae Sung-Woo, Park Sung-Woong, Nana, An Se-Ha, Choi Duk-Moon, Choi Il-Hwa, Heo Sung-Tae, Kim Tae-Hoon, Jung Jin-Young Running Time: 117 min. By Paul Bramhall Coming just a year after Jo Eui-seok’s Master, The Swindlers leans on the same true life story of a CEO who defrauded victims out of their savings, thanks to an elaborate pyramid scheme. Unlike Master though, here the crime … Continue reading →

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Asura: City of Madness (2017) Review

February 21, 2018 Paul Bramhall
Asura: The City of Madness | DVD (Sony)

Director: Kim Sung-Soo Cast: Jung Woo-Sung, Hwang Jung-Min, Ju Ji-Hoon, Kwak Do-Won, Jeong Man-Sik, Yoon Ji-Hye, Kim Hae-Gon, Kim Won-Hae, Oh Yeon-A, Kim Jong-Soo Running Time: 132 min. By Paul Bramhall The gangster genre has long been a much beloved staple of the Korean film industry, and if ever a movie knew it was a gangster flick, then it’s Asura: City of Madness. Going down like a cocktail made with half … Continue reading →

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Special Lady, A (2017) Review

February 15, 2018 Z Ravas
"A Special Lady" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee An-Gyu Cast: Kim Hye-Soo, Lee Sun-Kyun, Lee Hee-Joon, Choi Moo-Sung, Kim Min-Suk, Oh Ha-Nee, Ahn So-Young, Kwon Yool, Cha Soon-Bae, Sun Wook-Hyun Running Time: 90 min. By Z Ravas Any way you slice it, 2017 was a great year for women in action cinema. Guided by one-half of John Wick’s directing duo, Atomic Blonde saw Charlize Theron once again in full-contact combat mode; even if the film’s poe-faced attitude and unnecessarily confusing espionage plot kept … Continue reading →

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Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017) Review

February 9, 2018 Paul Bramhall
Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Kim Yong-Hwa Cast: Cha Tae-hyun, Ha Jung-Woo, Ju Ji-Hoon, Kim Hyang-Gi, Kim Dong-Wook, Do Kyung-Soo, Lee Joon-Hyuk, Lee Jung-Jae, Ma Dong-Seok, Jung Hae-Kyun Running Time: 139 min.  By Paul Bramhall It’s been a while since Korea delivered a full-blown fantasy spectacle, with perhaps the last time being Jo Dong-oh’s The Restless, way back in 2006. However with the current trend of webtoon (online comic) adaptations that are dominating both Korean … Continue reading →

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RV: Resurrected Victims (2017) Review

February 4, 2018 Paul Bramhall
"RV: Resurrected Victims" Theatrical Poster

Director: Kwak Kyung-Taek Cast: Kim Rae-Won, Kim Hae-Sook, Sung Dong-Il, Jeon Hye-Jin, Jang Young-Nam, Baek Bong-Ki, Oh Dae-Hwan, Kim Min-Jun, Lee Joon-Hyuk, Lee Ji-Won, Ha-Min  Running Time: 91 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s rare that a movie throws me off-guard before the opening credits have even started, but RV: Resurrected Victims did exactly that. The source of my raised eyebrows came in the form of the production company backing it. … Continue reading →

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Truth Beneath, The (2016) Review

January 4, 2018 Paul Bramhall
"The Truth Beneath" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Kyoung-Mi Cast: Son Ye-Jin, Kim Ju-Hyeok, Kim So-Hee, Shin Ji-Hoon, Choi Yu-Hwa, Kim Min-Jae Running Time: 102 min. By Paul Bramhall There’s been a refreshing surge of female talent in Korean cinema during recent years, particularly behind the camera. Movies like Shin Su-won’s Madonna, and Jeong Joo-ri’s A Girl at my Door, are arguably highpoints of the country’s output in the post-2010 era, and in 2016 the director … Continue reading →

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New World (2013) Review

December 22, 2017 Martin Sandison

Director: Park Hoon-jung Writer: Park Hoon-jung Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Choi Min-sik, Hwang Jung-min, Song Ji-hyo, Park Sung-woong, Kim Yoon-seong, Na Kwang-hoon, Park Seo-yeon, Choi Il-hwa Running Time: 134 min.  By Martin Sandison Filmmaker Park Hoon-jung has a limited filmography, but as the credited screenwriter on the all-time masterpiece I Saw the Devil, he started off his career very strongly. His 2nd film as director – following 2011’s The Showdown – is New World, an off-the-wall mix of gangster … Continue reading →

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Memoir of a Murderer (2016) Review

December 20, 2017 Paul Bramhall

Director: Won Shin-yun Cast: Sul Kyung-gu, Kim Nam-gil, Kim Seol-hyun, Oh Dal-su, Shin Ki-joon, Hwang Seok-jeong, Gil Hae-yeon, Kim Han-joon, Kim Dong-hee, Kim Jung-young Running Time: 128 min. By Paul Bramhall There’s been many variations on the serial killer trope in Korea, often framed within a variety of genres. From the horror of Tell Me Something, to the mystery of Memories of Murder, to the visceral thrills of I Saw the Devil. Director Won Shin-yun’s latest delivers yet another variant … Continue reading →

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