While I enjoyed the characters, the acting (very much!), & the story from the start, I didn't feel the same way about the pacing of the movie. I quickly began to feel as if *I* was a punching bag. It was relentless; making the title "Rough Play" quite apropos, indeed.

If this was the director's intention, he hit the bullseye. It felt uncomfortable. I mean, that's okay & all, but it was like being thrown the bones without much meat left on them. I found myself wanting more of an opportunity to be immersed into the scenes & into the characters themselves. To linger a bit, & connect with something or somebody. From beginning to end, it was like watching complete strangers, & while the characters were compelling, there was no invitation to learn about them in any kind of depth. I didn't know them any better by the end of the movie than I did at the beginning, & it left me feeling unsatisfied. Again, that's okay, too...but I still wanted more.

I wouldn't say this is a "bad" movie at all, though. Oh, wait! I know what it reminds me of! An old, wooden roller coaster! You get jostled & thrown around, slammed, it's bumpy as Hell & LOUD! She's certainly not as pretty as the new, quicksilver coasters of today, but she has her charms. When the ride is over, you definitely feel like you've been through something.

The intensity, which comes swirling at you from every direction...the pacing, the story, the world, the characters (most certainly the main character, Oh Young/Lee Joon), combines & morphs into it's own entity. It doesn't think to ask for permission, & it does NOT like being ignored.