As it is, Believer was not a fantastic movie; in fact, it’s a grain of sand on the shore that is the Korean action film industry. It’s not unusual to have great expectations from a country that has given us action-packed spectacles like Oldboy, I Saw the Devil, or most recently, Ballerina, and it’s equally fair to be disappointed. Personally, Believer wasn’t anything special on its own, and in an attempt to make a twisted film, the story got lost within itself, making for a convoluted film with an open ending. Now, we get Believer 2, a (very unnecessary) sequel to a rather mediocre movie. At least the first part had a decently cohesive story, though. Believer 2 follows Detective Won-Ho (again) as he continues his search for Asia’s (supposed) biggest drug-ring mastermind, Mr. Lee, along with looking for Rak, the inside man who got away.
- 11/18/2023
- by Ruchika Bhat
- Film Fugitives
Lee Hae-young did in 2018 what many thought impossible when he successfully remade Johnnie To's much loved thriller “Drug War” into “Believer”, an accomplished thriller that boasted of a strong starcast, excellent visuals, an impressive score and the final on-screen appearance from the late-great Kim Joo-hyuk. While the story didn't really need a sequel per se, Netflix thought otherwise and here we are in 2023, with “Believer 2” ready to release imminently in the streaming platform.
Synopsis
A crime action film on the nerve-wracking war between Won-ho, who is still pursuing Mr. Lee's organization and the disappeared “Rak” after the bloody fight at Yongsan Station, and Brian, who has reappeared, and a new character “Big Knife.” “Believer 2” follows Won-ho's investigation of looking for “Rak,” who disappeared after Brian's incarceration, while getting to the core of the elusive drug cartel. Baek Jong-yeol, who has already received praise for sophisticated cinematography and...
Synopsis
A crime action film on the nerve-wracking war between Won-ho, who is still pursuing Mr. Lee's organization and the disappeared “Rak” after the bloody fight at Yongsan Station, and Brian, who has reappeared, and a new character “Big Knife.” “Believer 2” follows Won-ho's investigation of looking for “Rak,” who disappeared after Brian's incarceration, while getting to the core of the elusive drug cartel. Baek Jong-yeol, who has already received praise for sophisticated cinematography and...
- 11/4/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
"Shall we drink anyway?" The Cinema Guild has released an official Us trailer for yet another Hong Sang-soo film titled Yourself and Yours, which first premiered at the Toronto & San Sebastian Film Festivals in 2016. This is the third Hong Sang-soo film being released this year along with Hill of Freedom and The Woman Who Ran. The story follows a couple that splits one night after an argument about the woman being seen with another man. The next day, she has a series of encounters with other men. But to them it seems she’s not herself... It's described as a "comic mystery" and "delightfully drunken riff on Abbas Kiarostami". Starring Ju-hyuk Kim, Yoo-Young Lee, Kwon Haehyo, Yu Junsang, and Kim Euisung, Yourself and Yours is a "pleasing puzzle full of mistaken identity, excessive drinking and lots of he-said, she-said. As the rumors pile up, Hong asks: In a relationship, how...
- 5/31/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Jeong-hyun (Kim Ju-hyuk) celebrates the publication of his manuscript by taking his wife Yun-Hie (Choo Sang-mi) away for a vacation. At a stop, Yun-hie notices M (Park Joong-hoon) starring at her. As they both leave, Jeong-Hyun appears to accidentally reverse into M, and to defuse the situation, they accept his request of a lift. Increasingly unnerved by their passenger’s behaviour, they are relieved to reach the first destination of their trip and leave him behind them. After a night where a rock is thrown through their hotel bedroom, they leave only to have a dangerous encounter on the road with a 4×4. At the next town, the 4×4 again forces them to nearly have an accident. A furious Jeong-hyun gets out of the car to confront the driver who turns out to be M. This is just the start of a psychological game that will ultimately escalate to violence and murder.
- 4/15/2020
- by Ben Stykuc
- AsianMoviePulse
According to the Korean Film Council (Kofic), this is the highest box office South Korea achieved among the first half in years.
Yoo Hae-jin and Hyun Bin in Confidential Assignment (2017) (Source: Hancinema.net)
The report stated that there were 97.29 million admissions, which resulted in a all-time high ticket sales of Usd 704.5 million. The number of viewers increased by 2.66 million for a growth of 2.8% from the same time last year, whilst the box office grew 3.4% with an increase of Usd 23.3 million. However, local films only took 41.62 million admissions, witnessed a decrease of 2.2 million (down 5%).
In comparison to last year, domestic films held a 42.8% market share, which was 3.5% less. On the other hand, foreign movies attracted 55.6 million viewers, increased by 4.86 million (up 9.6%) from first half of 2016. Us titles accounted for 48.8% of admissions, while European took 2% and Chinese took 0.2%. Meanwhile, Japanese films’ share surprisingly jumped 86% to take 5.2% of market share, mainly thanks to...
Yoo Hae-jin and Hyun Bin in Confidential Assignment (2017) (Source: Hancinema.net)
The report stated that there were 97.29 million admissions, which resulted in a all-time high ticket sales of Usd 704.5 million. The number of viewers increased by 2.66 million for a growth of 2.8% from the same time last year, whilst the box office grew 3.4% with an increase of Usd 23.3 million. However, local films only took 41.62 million admissions, witnessed a decrease of 2.2 million (down 5%).
In comparison to last year, domestic films held a 42.8% market share, which was 3.5% less. On the other hand, foreign movies attracted 55.6 million viewers, increased by 4.86 million (up 9.6%) from first half of 2016. Us titles accounted for 48.8% of admissions, while European took 2% and Chinese took 0.2%. Meanwhile, Japanese films’ share surprisingly jumped 86% to take 5.2% of market share, mainly thanks to...
- 8/5/2017
- by Quynh Nguyen
- AsianMoviePulse
Kyoung-mi Lee’s surreal political thriller The Truth Beneath arrives with perfect timing. Not only is the Us Presidential election spiralling ever further into the hell dimension, but Lee’s own South Korea is dealing with the bombshell that their Prime Minister, Park Geun-hye, is suspected of having participated in ‘shamanic rituals,’ having apparently been manipulated by the shadowy daughter of a cult leader.
Then again, if Kyoung-mi’s film is at all accurate, South Korean politics is a pretty messed up place. Campaigning politicians are practically deified, presenting an airbrushed smile to the world while engaged in gangsterish deals behind the scenes. Wiretapping, shaming your opponent’s children and casual violence is de rigeur, not to mention the color-coded squads of synchronized dancer supporters strutting down the street like they’ve stepped out of West Side Story.
She shows us a world where image is everything and policy takes a distant back seat.
Then again, if Kyoung-mi’s film is at all accurate, South Korean politics is a pretty messed up place. Campaigning politicians are practically deified, presenting an airbrushed smile to the world while engaged in gangsterish deals behind the scenes. Wiretapping, shaming your opponent’s children and casual violence is de rigeur, not to mention the color-coded squads of synchronized dancer supporters strutting down the street like they’ve stepped out of West Side Story.
She shows us a world where image is everything and policy takes a distant back seat.
- 11/5/2016
- by David James
- We Got This Covered
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