Kelly WandDuelist
October 11th 2006 03:44
I bought a copy of this film on a whim. Released without fanfare and packaged in a manner that says “don’t waste your time with this one”, commercial success doesn’t look like the kind of thing Universal is striving for here. Contractual obligation? Tax write off?
Didn’t anyone watch this thing? It is an absolute treasure. Set in Korea’s mythical past, the Minister for defence plans to seize power by circulating counterfeit currency and watching the economy and government collapse. He has control of the army so he’ll be the only man who can pick up the pieces.
Sad Eyes is an assassin employed by the Minister to cover his tracks. Detective Namsoon comes across Sad Eyes in action and pretty soon they are embarking on a long series of Duels that seem to have very little to do with killing each other and everything to do with physical intimacy. It is nowhere near as crude as that sounds but the sword fights are like tangos.
They fight in summer sun, rain and snow. They fight in the day and in the night. When they are not fighting they are thinking about fighting. I think it must be love.
Spicing this up is some interesting gender confusion. Namsoon wears a fairly unconvincing fake moustache and fends off more male admirers than when she doesn’t. Sad Eyes is told he looks like a girl and Namsoon demands he fight like a man. It’s quite strange when I come to think about it.
Ha Jiwon is brilliant as Detective Namsoon. Whilst she is clearly a very attractive woman, she plays her character as a crass, vulgar slob with an interesting line in sneers and snarls. You have no doubt that she could deck you. Imagine Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality without the smug knowledge of the Cinderella within. Better yet, imagine Anne Parillaud in “Nikita”.
If the plot has your “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” alarm bells going, put these doubts aside. This is a movie full of ballistics instead of ballet. No-one is trying for the art-house accolades of Western audiences. Having said that, the editing is flat out amazing. There are at least fifty tricks the editor introduces that Hollywood is queuing up to pilfer. You heard it here first.
Director Lee Myung Se is a name that I’ll be looking out for in future releases. This is yet more proof that Korean cinema is where it is at these days (if any more were needed). This is my honest word to you, you can’t go wrong with this one. It’s better than “Hero” or “House of Flying Daggers” and has a soundtrack that literally rocks.
Didn’t anyone watch this thing? It is an absolute treasure. Set in Korea’s mythical past, the Minister for defence plans to seize power by circulating counterfeit currency and watching the economy and government collapse. He has control of the army so he’ll be the only man who can pick up the pieces.
Sad Eyes is an assassin employed by the Minister to cover his tracks. Detective Namsoon comes across Sad Eyes in action and pretty soon they are embarking on a long series of Duels that seem to have very little to do with killing each other and everything to do with physical intimacy. It is nowhere near as crude as that sounds but the sword fights are like tangos.
They fight in summer sun, rain and snow. They fight in the day and in the night. When they are not fighting they are thinking about fighting. I think it must be love.
Spicing this up is some interesting gender confusion. Namsoon wears a fairly unconvincing fake moustache and fends off more male admirers than when she doesn’t. Sad Eyes is told he looks like a girl and Namsoon demands he fight like a man. It’s quite strange when I come to think about it.
Ha Jiwon is brilliant as Detective Namsoon. Whilst she is clearly a very attractive woman, she plays her character as a crass, vulgar slob with an interesting line in sneers and snarls. You have no doubt that she could deck you. Imagine Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality without the smug knowledge of the Cinderella within. Better yet, imagine Anne Parillaud in “Nikita”.
If the plot has your “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” alarm bells going, put these doubts aside. This is a movie full of ballistics instead of ballet. No-one is trying for the art-house accolades of Western audiences. Having said that, the editing is flat out amazing. There are at least fifty tricks the editor introduces that Hollywood is queuing up to pilfer. You heard it here first.
Director Lee Myung Se is a name that I’ll be looking out for in future releases. This is yet more proof that Korean cinema is where it is at these days (if any more were needed). This is my honest word to you, you can’t go wrong with this one. It’s better than “Hero” or “House of Flying Daggers” and has a soundtrack that literally rocks.
| 65 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog