"I won't mince words".
The plot of the film was the least interesting thing about it, not because it's bad, it's just that we have seen it all before again and again. Gangsters, revenge, violence, blah blah.
Simple, right? Wrong.
Why?
Because through the immersive cinematography, the way the story is presented, the dark and mature themes, and the overall atmosphere the film portrays, is top notch. It is more complex than that but it never shows it. Instead, it lets the viewer understand it by going beyond the mainstream - not by using an extraordinary plot but by portraying empty environments, nature, appreciation of quietness and feelings that are hidden behind all of the previous.
The film mostly takes place in a remote place, so the opportunity for portraying said feeling of loneliness and appreciation of simple life and nature, has been well utilized.
There is action, sure, but many could argue that the pacing is a little bit off - boring at times, even. But I believe that it was presented in such a way that every scene added to the character development and the overall climax.
Let me give an example: Showing the main characters eating together, may be boring for some, but if you look beyond the simplicity of the scene, you can see that this was added because bonding is achieved through experiences. Simple or complex. And our protagonists live through many. Simple, like eating food together, going on rides or drinking at night. Complex, like being forced to watch the man you grew to like, unjustly being murdered by people with connections or trying to prevent a girl you've known for a only few hours from committing suicide. And this way, you grow more fond of them and you stop seeing them as indestructible machines most "heroes' are. They are just tormented people that want to be left alone.
And this for me, is the true meaning of the overall theme of the film. Loneliness, depicted through beautiful cinematography and past mistakes.
The ending is also very gritty, this film makes you believe that you will witness Avengers type of action and indestructibility of the main actors. You think that our protagonist will beat the hell out of the bad guys and save the girl. Guess again. And thus, it leaves you with a very sad feeling when the credits roll. Again, loneliness is felt even more.
Immersiveness is key in nearly every film and for me, Park Hoon-jung has created his best film to date.
The acting is also phenomenal, but I haven't yet seen a Korean film with bad acting, tbh.
TL; DR: If you like dark films, beautiful cinematography and appreciate film-making, watch it now. If you expect thousands of plot-twists, 2 hours of action and "good guys always win" mentality, don't.
The plot of the film was the least interesting thing about it, not because it's bad, it's just that we have seen it all before again and again. Gangsters, revenge, violence, blah blah.
Simple, right? Wrong.
Why?
Because through the immersive cinematography, the way the story is presented, the dark and mature themes, and the overall atmosphere the film portrays, is top notch. It is more complex than that but it never shows it. Instead, it lets the viewer understand it by going beyond the mainstream - not by using an extraordinary plot but by portraying empty environments, nature, appreciation of quietness and feelings that are hidden behind all of the previous.
The film mostly takes place in a remote place, so the opportunity for portraying said feeling of loneliness and appreciation of simple life and nature, has been well utilized.
There is action, sure, but many could argue that the pacing is a little bit off - boring at times, even. But I believe that it was presented in such a way that every scene added to the character development and the overall climax.
Let me give an example: Showing the main characters eating together, may be boring for some, but if you look beyond the simplicity of the scene, you can see that this was added because bonding is achieved through experiences. Simple or complex. And our protagonists live through many. Simple, like eating food together, going on rides or drinking at night. Complex, like being forced to watch the man you grew to like, unjustly being murdered by people with connections or trying to prevent a girl you've known for a only few hours from committing suicide. And this way, you grow more fond of them and you stop seeing them as indestructible machines most "heroes' are. They are just tormented people that want to be left alone.
And this for me, is the true meaning of the overall theme of the film. Loneliness, depicted through beautiful cinematography and past mistakes.
The ending is also very gritty, this film makes you believe that you will witness Avengers type of action and indestructibility of the main actors. You think that our protagonist will beat the hell out of the bad guys and save the girl. Guess again. And thus, it leaves you with a very sad feeling when the credits roll. Again, loneliness is felt even more.
Immersiveness is key in nearly every film and for me, Park Hoon-jung has created his best film to date.
The acting is also phenomenal, but I haven't yet seen a Korean film with bad acting, tbh.
TL; DR: If you like dark films, beautiful cinematography and appreciate film-making, watch it now. If you expect thousands of plot-twists, 2 hours of action and "good guys always win" mentality, don't.