Hindsight

I did not know anything about Hindsight (Blue Salt) before I have read the press release for the US release. After watching the trailer, I knew that I must watch it soon.

Hindsight is the romantic story of an old gangster Doo-hyeon who wants to leave the life of crime behind him with a dream to open up an restaurant. He joins a cooking class to achieve his aim and there he meets up with sweet & young Se Bin. After some hints and tips exchange about Korean cuisine, romance sparks start to fly.

This unlikely romance between the old gangster and the young girl gets really interesting as this innocent girl turns out to be a top shooter assassin. Furthermore, Doo-hyeon's old partners hire Se Bin to keep an eye on him.

Their unspoken romance gets complicated as Se Bin's female friend jumps in the mix as well and I must say that I never understood the relationship between them (Singing at a karaoke bar with handcuffs?).

As for action it is pretty intense towards the end and I always fancy sniper scenes in action movies. I agree with the comment that the action scenes of this movie resembles Beyond Hypothermia. Besides Doo-hyeon handles himself well while fighting some bad guys too.

If you are expecting an all out action movie you might get disappointed as most of the scenes of Hindsight are not action scenes. But if you take this movie for what it is you can really enjoy it.

Hindsight (Blue Salt) Nothing groundbreaking but worth watching.

(2011) Hindsight/ Poo-reun so-geum (In South Korea with English subtitles) THRILLER/ CRIME DRAMA

Co-produced, co-written and directed by Hyun-seung Lee, that has a gangster, Man-gil dying and chanting Doo-heon's name out. Viewers are then introduced to Yoon Doo-heon (Song Kang-ho) in a cooking class, standing right beside him is another student, Se-bin (Shin Se-Kyung). Which at first, is nothing unusual until we see Se-bin taking pictures of Doo-heon, we find out she is working for gangsters either from the Haeundae Gang or the Hwaryong gang. Se-bin also lives with her best friend, Eun-jung (Som E) and is also a professional sharpshooter who owes gangsters $70,000 from a $10,000 loan. And by the time boss Man-gil dies, Se-bin is then given orders to execute Doo-heon at anyway possible. And of course, she does not want to as she already build a rapport with him as she knows he does not want o be a part of that gangster life anymore. And the gangsters then kidnap her best friend, Eun-jong with both Doo-heon his right hand man, Ae-gu (Jeong-myeong Cheon) and Se-bin are working together to get her back.

There's way too much drama moments the movie did not actually need, and although their is some action, not enough of it, despite the good ending.

Amazing story, acting and music i actually bought the dvd on amazon which shows how old i am, the lead actor is the Korean Al Pacino in my book please sit down and just watch it and its damn sure worth paying for.

This movie is so good actually, I thought it will be boring at first but I'm totally wrong, it's good. it might not be the best one but it's still good for me, kinda remind me of t-ara cry cry mv, shin se kyung's character here really remind me of ji yeon, i think that's what I like about this movie, this movie has the vibe of an old classic melodrama gangster movie, just like t-ara cry cry mv. and lastly chun jung myung really catch my eyes here, it's my first time seeing him in a movie and he's sooo cool and handsome

Hindsight mysteriously and powerfully opens with Doo-Hun (Song Kang-Ho) being assassinated pointblank by Se-Bin (Sin Se-Kyun), the entertainingly intense soundtrack, consisting primarily of a piano, immersing the viewer in the moment, that is as eye catching as it is beautifully filmed, colors being exceptionally used over the course of the feature, not only visually, but during conversations too. From this opening, we are eager to discover the identities of the two people we recently met, and what relationship they had prior to the shooting. Consisting of themes present in dramas, actions, thrillers and romance, Hindsight is a film that does not belong to one particular genre, but does an extraordinary job of bringing each of these varying narrative styles together. Although not all of the sub-plots are essentially concluded, and despite there being at least one moment in the feature that doesn't entirely make sense, these small, lacking details do not take away from the enjoyment Hindsight is sure to provide.

Although still connected to members of the world he once inhabited, the genuine, handsome and likable Doo-Hun is perhaps not the kind of man one would suspect was once a promising legend in the mob world. Returning to Busan to learn culinary, his dream of opening a restaurant by the sea remains foremost in his mind, even after the discovery that his old friend, and recent gang leader, was killed, though this does not halter his desire to find out who was responsible, believing the attack was a meticulously executed assassination. He invests his loyal bodyguard One Eye (Chun Jung-Myung), whose unflinching dedication is well articulated, to investigate, only to discover a wealth of corruption. With no desire to take the reins of the organization, Doo-Hun is caught in the politics of the mob world, many of his former partners believing the transitions that need to occur will go smoother, if Doo-Hun went the way of the former mob boss.

Se-Bin is a young, and dare I say, unbelievably gorgeous woman, who once had a promising future as a sharp-shooter, but an injury in her past, which is poignantly explored visually over the duration of the film, has caused her life to spiral in an alternate direction. Living with her best friend, Eun-Jung (Esom) and gun instructor, Yook (Oh Dal-Su), a series of large debts to a local gang, forces her to follow Doo-Hun, and report back on his routines, the two of them meeting at culinary school, their continuous proximity and shared interest in cooking, leading to the orchestration of a close bond. The incorporation of food into the plot, although it may appear strange in theory, is well achieved, with a sense of passion and perfectionism by the characters, which reflects the standards they exhibit in the other areas of their lives.

Learning culinary techniques, morals and life lessons from each other, Se-Bin's role becomes increasingly complicated when Madame Kang (Youn Yoh-Jung), the ruthless owner of a business dedicated to instigating assassinations, assigns her the duty of taking Doo-Hun out. Unable to pull the trigger, other hit-men, including the unrivaled K (Kim Min-Jun), are ordered to complete the assignment, placing both Doo-Hun and Se-Bin at further risk. Neither of the leads take advantage of each other, and though their relationship is more often than not strained, and peculiar, the care, trust and friendship they exhibit is well developed on screen. At the same time, it can be difficult to assume the extent of their connection, with not enough evidence provided to assist audiences in speculating if whether the leads experience a father-daughter relationship, or are genuinely feeling a romantic attachment, though such questions do not take away from the on-screen chemistry, a scene where Se-Bin asks what she is to Doo-Hun, being quite possibly one of the film's most emotively powerful moments.

Viewers expecting to see a lot of action will presumably be disappointed, and though the fight scenes are often as well executed and entertaining as they are surprising, much of the feature is very character oriented and dramatic, with communication exhibiting a major role. Characters, including Eun-Jung, and mob-boss Baek (Lee Kyoung-Young), whose roles were pivotal in the film, deserved further screen time to further impact the audience with their presence. This aside, though the storyline incorporates murder, betrayal and corruption into its plot, Hindsight feels like a genuinely compassionate, enjoyable feature, that, thanks especially to the leads, will surely keep you attentive.