I've yet to see a South Korean movie I did not like.
This movie might be a bit slow, or a bit sentimental for some people but if you like a balance of understatement and simplicity, mixed with great characters, you're going to love Righeous Ties.
The ending, while not unique was not really predictable either. There are only so many ways you go go with an ending to a loyalty/brotherhood/ revenge movie. I guess it really boils down to how are the last 20 minutes of the movie played out.
Wow, 10 lines of text. How frustrating. This is/was a minimalist movie and therein lies the beauty. Oh, not a lot of outdoor scenes but South Korea really looks to be a beautiful country. I give it a 7/10 but that only means that 9/10 and 10/10 are reserved for the best work of people like Bergman, Kubrick or Malick.