Review LI - The Last Stand

Review LI
The Last Stand (2013)

I just realised I haven't watched a Korean film since the end of September. Still, I haven't forgotten the familiar faces that Korean cinema has brought to me. When I saw that The Last Stand was being directed by Kim Ji-woon, I was ecstatic and made it a must-see for 2013. Well, it came out yesterday, so today was as good a day as any to see Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first leading role since 2003. The film also stars Forest Whitaker, Luis Guzmán, Jaimie Alexander, Rodrigo Santoro, Johnny Knoxville, and Eduardo Noriega.

Ray Owens (Arnold Schwarzenegger) worked in Los Angeles, California (as GOVERNATOR) at one time as a big-time police officer, but has since displayed to Sommerton, Arizona to escape the brutality that he once saw. The police department here consists of only three other people - Sarah Torrance (Jaimie Alexander), Mike Figuerola (Luis Guzmán), and Jerry Bailey (Zach Gilford) - and they're not really the most compotent bunch. Sarah stays back at the police station to watch over her ex-boyfriend, Frank Martinez (Rodrigo Santoro), who is supposed to be kept beyond bars for the weekend for driving under the influence of alcohol. The rest of the game travels to Lewis Dinkum's (Johnny Knoxville) museum in order to take shots at slabs of beef. Everything seems to be under control until Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), an infamous drug lord, escapes from custody at the hands of Agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker) and his federal agents while being convoyed. Now he's heading to the Mexican border via Sommerton, but he's in for a bigger fight than he thought.

The film appeals to the action-lover, that's for sure. It has an epically fast car (I don't know cars, so there's probably a better one, but I'm limited here. The car is a Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1) with intense car chases, it has gun fights with tons of blood and explosions (okay, at least one), and Arnold Schwarzenegger! The plot itself isn't anything spectacular, you know, typical action plot that leads to the most action and craziness as possible. It was crazy, but it was entertaining, and since that is what the film was aiming for, it succeeded. Slight spoiler... I did, though, wonder throughout the whole film how Gabriel Cortez's group made a bridge themselves leading into Mexico. Sure, it's a narrow canyon, but it's not a metre long either. I don't understand how not one single person saw them working on this bridge because it must have taken a while. The materials they had to order to, and making sure they had a great engineer so the bridge wouldn't collapse. Also, now that the bridge is there, will they have to set up another border crossing area? Or will they just demolish the bridge? I'm mostly doing this is a joke now, but this demonstrates that it is a typical action film because it has these pretty far-fetched schemes. I'm willing to suspend my disbelief for the film, though. It did what I expected - entertainment. However, I thought that, initially, there was a lot of swearing for no reason coming from Agent John Bannister. I don't know, it wasn't in particularly consist throughout the film, and it seemed useless at the beginning. There were also some pretty bad lines. Well, alright, maybe only one, and it was the "that ass" line coming from one of Gabriel Cortez's goons, Burrell, played by Peter Stormare (he's in the Big Lebowski! Whaaat!). It just seemed so out of place and ugly. Ugh, I still shudder at it.

I don't really have anything else to say about the film, so I might as well give my rating. I'd give it a seven point five on ten. It was entertaining, nothing more, nothing less, and if you're looking for an easy movie to watch, I recommend this one. Thank you, Kim Ji-woon, for making an English-speaking film - I can finally support you by seeing your film in theatres.

Review IX - The Good, The Bad, The Weird

Review IX
The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008)

I've watched a few Western shows, but Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom, aka The Good, The Bad, The Weird, was the first Western film I ever watched. Not because I oppose Westerns, but because I just never got around to watching one. The film is directed by Kim Jee-woon (same director as I Saw The Devil), and stars Song Kang-ho, Jung Woo-sung, and, once again, Lee Byung-hun.

Park Chang-yi, The Bad (Lee Byung-hun), is hired to steal a treasure map from a Japanese soldier on a train, but Yoon Tae-goo, The Weird (Song Kang-ho), steals it first. Park Do-won, The Good (Jung Woo-sung), initially aiming to claim the bounty on The Bad's head, ends up being part of the search for the treasure, while the Japanese Imperial Army aims to get the map back.

The film is very entertaining. While I, as I mentioned, was disappointed with I Saw The Devil, The Good, The Bad, The Weird is one of my favourite films from Kim Jee-woon. The plot was simple, and it was perfect for the amount of action that was in the film. It was a good balance, and where I Saw The Devil failed, The Good, The Bad, The Weird succeeded. Song Kang-ho did an amazing job portraying The Weird, just as good as Jung Woo-sung did as The Good, and Lee Byung-hun as The Bad. The action scenes in the film are very well done, and the bits of comedy in the film fit in nicely. It's not a film that makes you think, but it does a fantastic job at keeping you entertained. The music was also amazing, but I've noticed that Kim Jee-woon's films always contain an awesome soundtrack.

I'd give the film eight on ten. I found it to be very entertaining, and the actors did a good job in each role they had. I wish maybe they had explored the history of Korea in the 1930s a bit more, but it wasn't necessary. As I mentioned, the plot is very simple, but with all the action that goes on, I'm happy they stuck with a simple plot. Had the plot been too complex, it would have led to a film lacking too much in the story. If you enjoy Westerns or are just looking for an entertaining, funny movie, it's highly recommended.

Pirate Bay torrent

Review V - I Saw The Devil

Review V
I Saw The Devil (2010)

Lee Byung-hun is one of my favourite actors. He's appeared in such classics as Joint Security Area, The Good, The Bad, The Weird, and A Bittersweet Life, demonstrating a great acting ability. This month, on the 23rd, he and Ahn Sung-ki will become part of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, being the second Asians (they are going together so they are considered both second) to become part of the Walk of Fame after John Woo, and the first Koreans to become a part of it. Lee Byung-hun is overcoming a barrier that is not often seen, and that is he is starting to become part of Hollywood films. Yes, even though he is Korean, he can speak Korean, French, Mandarin, and English fluently. That is quite a feat for anyone. Because he can speak English fluently, he's starring as actual useful characters in films, though so far he has only been seen in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. However, I'm hoping that with the recognition he'll be getting with his introduction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he'll start appearing in even better films than G.I. Joe.

Due to his introduction into the Walk of Fame, I'll be reviewing a few of his films this month. I would say all, but we'll see if I can actually get my hands on all of them. In the meantime, let's check out the 2010 I Saw The Devil directed by Kim Jee-woon, and starring, besides Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik.

The film opens up with a young woman, Joo-yun (Oh San-ha), speaking to her lover, Kim Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun), as she waits for a tow truck to come get her as she has a flat tire. The two continue to talk as a random stranger in a students' services van (Choi Min-sik) stops to ask her if she needs help. Soo-hyun warns her to lock the doors and tell the man to leave her alone after he sings her a song. Eventually they hang up as Soo-hyun needs to go to work. Joo-yun thanks the man for his help but tells him she'll be fine. Little does she know he is a serial murderer, and she is his next victim. She is killed shortly after (gruesomely, I may add) even after confessing she is pregnant, and her dismembered carcass is found in a river. Soo-hyun swears revenge for her death, and Joo-yun's father agrees. The film turns into a mouse and cat thriller from here on out.

It's a gruesome movie. If you can't handle blood, rape, and mutilation, stay away. I thought Choi Min-sik did an absolutely amazing job acting as a sociopath. I would say watch the film for his portrayal alone - yes, it was that good. I've only ever seen Choi Min-sik in Oldboy, but he did an amazing job in that film. In this film, he plays the antagonist, the killer, and it's absolutely wonderful. I thought Lee Byung-hun displayed great emotion in the scenes that called for it. I honestly felt the despair he felt in those moments. I already knew his capabilities of emotional scenes because of Addicted, but this revealed it even more.

As much as the acting was good, I found Soo-hyun's story lacked a lot. I would have preferred a bit more of a story when it came to him and his wife, and most of the time, he had no emotion. I suppose that is what they were going for (if you watch the film, you'll understand what I mean), which makes sense, but I still found that we'd get a scene where he cries, and the next, he's displaying nothing. I can't necessarily nitpick about this too much because, again, this could actually be justified due to the predicament, but it still bothered me a bit. I also found that characters were introduced, yet not much was necessarily done with them. They bring up how they're related to the antagonist or protagonist, but they don't really do anything. It's just a mention, and then suddenly later, they're important. I would have preferred a little less of the cat and mouse chase and had them developed further instead.

I also found the story lacked a bit. I really don't want to give anything away so I'll just say that I finished the movie, but I didn't feel one hundred percent satisfied. Had Kim Jee-woon written the script, I have a feeling it would have been amazing. Instead we got an interesting, suspenseful plot that lacked just a little... something.

I'd give the film seven point five stars on ten. As I said, Choi Min-sik did an amazing job in his role, and Lee Byung-hun as well. Nonetheless, the lacking story brings it down, even if the gore effects were amazing, as well as the martial arts bits.

Pirate Bay torrent (film separeted into two parts)