Reviews

Two reviews, two comparisons.

The movie made me think of Luc Besson's "Leon", one of my favourite films ever. The feel is the same, and so is the awkward yet deeply touching relationship between Tae-shik and So-mee.



Won Bin's performance is superb, his misery and loneliness enphasized by the constant darkness of the setting and the few sharp lines he is asked to deliver. But just as brilliant is the kid's acting and that of the two schizoid criminals with their dark humour, one lamenting the blood on his Dolce & Gabbana's shirt, the other toying with eyeballs.



Stay away from it if you are easily disturbed by blood. This movie is violent and pretty graphic, and the ethic underneath the blood shoking and insufferable. The Korean police are doing what they always are in Korean films: nothing. Except being activated to a frenzy by the only hero of the story.

At times, one wishes one could enter the screen ad shake some sense into the police force. I can only hope this is a dramatic device, more than a window on reality.



The action scenes are brilliantly enacted, with enough close cut shots to make them believable and felt.

Overall a superb movie, not to be watched while eating, though.

Leia Mais

I didn't have great expectations for this movie to begin with - and still it managed to really disappoint me.

First of all, I couldn't like the main characters, and that is always a problem. I just couldn't relate to their lives or problems at all. In my eyes, Ha-Young was just irritating, spoiled little girl screaming, making faces and throwing tantrums all the time. Hyung-Joon wasn't any better, he was definitely arrogant (as the movie's name suggests), mean and self-centered. I could have still forgiven these flaws of theirs if they had had any good and amiable side in their personalities but I just couldn't find enough good in them to make me like them.

Secondly, the whole setting of the story was just too weird and twisted to my liking. I'm normally okay with dramas or movies that have all sorts of marriage/sibling/dating/cohabitation agreements in order to provide the main characters enough interaction so that they can fall in love with each other. However, this "Enslavement Agreement" was too much for me. My dislike for this agreement was further strengthened by the fact that the girl was still underage and the boy in college (call me prudish if you like). Had they had a pure, equal relationship, then it might have been okay, but in this case, the setting was just too weird.

Thirdly, I wasn't convinced that the characters really fell in love with each other. I acknowledge the obvious time limitations of a movie compared to a drama but still, there just was something missing. Fourthly, I really didn't get the humour in this movie. Even the numerous day-dreaming scenes of the main heroine didn't really work or weren't that funny. I was actually really surprised to notice that Ha Ji Won played in this movie. I liked her in "Secret Garden" so I'm tending to believe that this movie wasn't so bad because of the acting but because of the storyline.

For those who now think that I seriously underrated this movie, please feel free to give it a better review. I am no longer teenager, nor am I Korean, so maybe there were just some things I didn't get, but personally, I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. You'll just feel stupid afterwards for wasting your time on it.

Leia Mais

So, in case you can't tell from the scores, I recommend this. If that's all you needed to know to watch this movie, do so... NOW. For the rest of you read the in depth and then go watch this.



I really enjoyed this story. When I read the synopsis, I sort of thought this was going to be one of those terrible over-the-top comedic asian dramas that I can't stand. DON'T LET THE SYNOPSIS SCARE YOU. This Punch Lady is literally going to fight her abusive husband and there is nothing funny about the turmoil she is going through. Not to say that there is no comedic relief, but the main character is a battered woman, not merely a disgruntled one.



The acting was good, no particularly huge stand out performances, but everything was watchable. I definitely felt what the characters were suppose to feel. I laughed, I cried, I liked it. However, don't look for total groundbreaking.



Music- did its job, nothing memorable to me but nothing obnoxious either.



Definitely would see this again with a friend who liked it or hasn't seen it. I might watch it on my own, but most likely not. But such an experience would not be unenjoyable XD



Overall, if you haven't seen it, watch it. It's not a 20 episode long drama, just a movie. You have no excuse.

Leia Mais

I'm not an expert on Korean movies but I'd say that this wasn't bad at all. Obviously, a two-hour movie cannot have the same depth of character development as a 16- or 20-hour drama series but since the main focus was on the main characters, I think you had enough time to get attached to them. I even shed a few tears at the end of the film (or then I'm just too soft... :P)

This movie isn't full of drama but it is not a light one either since it touches upon themes like violence, alcoholism and depression. However, all these themes are illustrated in a warm-hearted manner, not too realistically, and hope is definitely present all the time. This is certainly not too serious a movie, and that is largely because of the more or less twisted and dark humour that spices the story up and makes you laugh.

The overall plot goes onwards at a good pace and has some interesting twists that I was unable to predict, especially at the end. Shin Hyeon-Jun portraits in a very endearing way the professional killer Hyun-Jun who is a serious, warm hearted and troubled man questioning his profession and quietly looking for someone he could talk to. Kang Hye-Jeong's Jin-Young is a bit crazy, not an ordinary woman, but very adorable.

This movie has some very endearing and funny scenes and that is why I liked it so much. The main characters are very likeable as well. If you have two hours to spare, go and watch it, it isn't a waste of your time.

Leia Mais

I'm a huge fan of Wong Kar-Wai. He's not a simple story teller, but a director capable of using the cinematographic media to its fullest. His movies are estetically beautiful, their silences as poignant and thought-provoking as the often minimal lines.



Hong Kong Express is no exception. The acting is, not surprisingly, brilliant. Tony Leung in particular delivers his nonchalant, ironical and obsessed cop to perfection. To Kaneshiro the honour of the best line in the movie.

The director often uses a tecnique called step-framing, in which a character is frozen in time while the world around him or her moves at incredible speed. The viewer is therefore often deceived as to the real chronology of events.



So, this is a movie about love, but it's most of all a story of solitude, like those frozen characters, who are as lonely in a metropole as little ants in a moltitude of insects.



I gave it a 8 because I need to spare the 10 for "In the Mood for Love", possibly Kar-Wai's masterpiece so far.

Leia Mais

I usually am not a fan of musicals. There are a few instances, though, in which the story told is so beautiful and the acting so engrossing, I forget the genre and let myself be absorbed in the story told via music.



Perhaps love is one of those instances. The movie by Peter Chan has been compared to Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge" and indeed it shares with this last the same theatrical flavour, between reality and dream. One can't help be reminded of classical operas such as La Traviata or Tosca, with elements of melodrama and tragic mingled with grand musical pieces and modern settings.



With the help of the music, this movie could be watched without subtitles and still be understood by those who don't know Mandarin. This goes to the director and the actors credit.



The plot is simple and very classical, but the style is new and the music original. Not an everyday movie by all means, but one which will linger in your memory.

Leia Mais

The story is very, very unique and interesting. It ties together at the end so perfectly that it can't be put in words(Ok, well it can, but I don't want to!) Takeshi Kaneshiro and the rest of the cast performed brilliantly. The music was alright, nothing spectacular, but it did serve its purpose well. As for rewatch value, i'm not one to rewatch movies and dramas, and I wouldn't really rewatch this one either, unless it's been several years since I first watched it. Overall though, this is one of my favorite movies and I really believe that more people should watch it. So if you haven't seen it yet, go watch it now &_&

Leia Mais

This movie is 10 minutes of sweetness. I stumbled upon it while searching for something new to watch, and I was happily surprised. For being a movie where the actors don't say a word, I understood everything completely. The looks, the small movements and the light explains everything and I recall myself just sitting there squeaking. It is an incredible cute story and the actors are doing great. I have already watched it several times.

The only thing I dislike with this movie is the 3 minutes long song in the middle. It is dull, annoying and does not have anything to do with the story. Otherwise the soundtrack is as sweet as the story itself.

I highly recommend you watching this and I would, at the same time, like to mention that the director of "Boy meets boy" has made a 30 minutes long movie in the same spirit, "Just friends?". A movie just as delightful as this one.

Leia Mais

I began watching this movie because of Okada Masaki, an actor whom caught my attention by being brilliant in most of his roles (He has a minor role in this movie but still managed to get an acting nominee for best supporting role). What made me keep watching was the thrilling story, something I did not expect (I didn't even read the synopsis before I began watching), the dark feeling and the overall fantastic actors. One would not think that 37 middle school students can create such an atmosphere. The woman who played the main character, Takako Matsu, was amazing in her role. But, let me quote "let's not forget the amazing ensemble cast of young Japanese actors who ultimately steal the show from Matsu's cold as ice teacher with their riveting performances as existential youth gone wrong".

This masterpiece was completed by their use of Radiohead's Last Flowers.

All I can say is: "Watch and be amazed" because this will mess with you.

Leia Mais