Real (2017)

I could not believe I have watched REAL already, I've been dying to watch it to see for myself, how the movie is really. Why is that KSH mentioned it is a representation of his 20s while many fans are questionsing why he took the role. Also about the bed scenes, non-existing plot, bad directing, too long running time and being a bad move etc. So here's my take of the movie: 1. KSH's showed acting we have never seen from him before. I especially like his portrayal of the masked Jangtae young - the thub scene ; the cry laugh scene with the other JTY and the cry/laugh scene in the car - were my favorites. He reminds me of HIsuka's character in HunterxHunter. He was able to show the softness of the character perfectly. It truly is a work to be proud of. KSH is an actor - given a scary script which he knew he can play - and so he did. What a man can be he must be. He deserves a major award for this. 2. Bed Scenes - I would understand this is not something young korean fans would expect, well anyway the move is rated19. And for an adult film, the scenes were carefully shoot - the characters are extremist and so the bed scenes has to match the characters desires. The scenes were quick and obviously unreal (i mean why would other people even think it was real *** - and to those labeling it as cheap Bed scnes must be sleeping throughout the movie and just woke up and see the few seconds bed scene. ) 3. Non- existing plot - The film is not the typical A love B. C is the villain and D gets all the symapthy and wins in the end. KSH during showcase expected confusion from public and mentioned about watching the movie more than once.I think the film's aim is for viewers to share opinions and interpretation. I would need to rewatch the moview with better subs - there were many sub mistakes when `i compared it with the trailer subbed in english - i'd give the plot another chance then edit my review later. 4. Bad Directing - I must agree the action scenes were out of tune - there are a few impressive moves -nice attempt - but the raid scenes were weak. BUt the rest of the directing was not bad at all. 5. 2 hours running time - I didn not find it lengthy nor dragging, maybe because I don't mind watching kim soo hyun alone for hours and hours ,3 chapters are necessary for the script, I believe. For me it was just fine. 6. Other casts: there is nothing to hate about Suili, she did a good job. Suzy's appearance was ridiculuos it was not even for 2 sec. thinking she had the body tatoo done for 30mins just for that scene, or maybe they cut it bec of some reasons, and IU? I did not see her at all. 7. Overall: REAL is definetly not a bad movie, but I must say it is not everybody's genre. I look forward to watching it with better subs to give a more accurate review. But it is undeniable how great kim soo hyun acting was - watching his characters alone is worth it the plot is just a bonus. hehe. i would definetly watch it on BIg Screen more than once if only it will be shown in the country where i am at. I will still recommend the movie - let me know what you think. I certainly enjoy watching kim soo hyun for 137 minutes.

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Yes, Kim Soo Hyun did a great job but you can't overlook the damning lack of coherent story. While I could distinguish the different egos, by the end I was losing track of them. The filming overall was good and there are many beautiful scenes, but the action scenes (especially sound effects) were almost laughable. I wouldn't mind that so much if I could actually understand what the hell was happening. I thought by the end I would have understood a little more but it only became more bizarre. I normally enjoy films which are something dark and different but I have to be able to follow a plot, which this lacked. The acting is definitely not something to laugh at, which saddens me as they put on a great performance for a poor script. The soundtrack is your standard action movie with no notable tunes.

I would say if you're a Kim Soo Hyun fan then sure, have a go at it, but it isn't anything like a K-drama (nudity, drug use and violence), and you won't finish it with any more understanding than when you started.

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For mature audience

I've noticed how low the reviews and ranting are So I thought I need to come here with help and add some more stars.
Story: You have to really watch carefully "Real" to understand. The plot isn't bad. A lot of action scenes which I've loved.
Acting/Cast: Definitely good cast. Both FL and ML did a good job. Obviously 김수현 오빠 took the role and acted professionally. And the behind the scenes are so funny haha.
Music: I usually remember all songs, melodies from kdrama OSTS, but when it comes to movies I rarely remember. Real" has subtle and intense melodies well matched to action.
Rewatch value. For me good.
Overall. Please review/rate this movie giving more stars after watching behind the scenes, huge effort was made especially in action scenes.

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Some of you guys are simply not ready for this movie.

     First of all, we need to talk about the acting... it was fenomenal. Focusing on Kim Soo Hyun, he definitely proved to be an incredible actor that can amazingly portrays different personalities. The plot (yes, there is one) is really captivating and it'll keep you focused on trying to understand what's going on. Unfortunately, there is an explanation for the bad reviews... It was really confusing. As I said, the plot is definitely cool, but they made some things kinda hard to notice, which made the movie not really enjoyable for everyone. If you expect to finish the movie and immediately understand everything that happened... that's probably not for you, but I promise that if you spend some time trying to complete the puzzle, you'll get surprised with how fascinating the story is. 

     About the bed scenes... well, we were all warned about it. I do think that some of them were a little bit unnecessary but it's not the end of the world. If you're used to watching movies from USA you've definitely seen a lot of scenes like that, so don't overreact about it simply because of the actors. They're adults but mainly, professionals.

     Also, if you're watching it from fansubs just make sure that the subtitles are actually loyal to what they're saying. I had to watch it twice because the first time was totally messed up due to bad subtitles.


At the end... Yes, it was confusing, but definitely a good movie with a great plot and really talented actors. It makes me sad to think that he and the rest of the cast received hate because of this movie. It could have been better with a more decent management but it's for sure not as bad as people claimed it to be. Just give it a try! And don't watch it simply because of the bed scenes... this movie really has a big crazy story to offer, just be ready to receive it and work with the puzzle pieces!

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Everybody saying there's no plot need to watch the movie again. There is, indeed and in fact, a plot. A rather intricate one. To which you have to pay close attention to all the details in order to not get completely lost. This is not the movie where you have the luxury of checking your brain at the door. Most likely you won't get it on the first viewing, so if you're the viewer who wants everything spelled out for you, don't watch this. This is not the movie for you.

I watched it once, then I had to watch it again immediately afterwards. On my second viewing I literally had to pause the movie, get pen and paper and map out the characters in order to understand all the twists and turns. It was worth it, as in the end I felt satisfied I knew who the REAL protagonist was (unlike most people who reported being frustrated with the ending).

Don't get fooled like the rest and think this is bad movie. It isn't. It's only bad to those who weren't able to figure it out. It's a movie that's true to its genre. What's interesting is that it follows traditional linear storytelling with three full acts - all the clues are actually given to you up front, but due to its intricate (though others might say convoluted) plotting, the narrative can appear jumbled and not so straightforward to the impatient eye. Like I said before, this is likely to breed frustration in viewers who like to be spoon fed each & every plot development. Moreover, if you're a prude and humans in their natural form offend you, you shouldn't be watching this genre because most of these films will have nudity in them. Most of them will treat women like accessories, rather than fully fleshed out characters ... because what do you know, most gangsters IRL don't respect women. Most gangsters just use women for sex and arm candy & that's it. Hardly, if ever, do women play a more significant role in the underworld's nefarious dealings. So don't watch films like these and then complain about nudity & the lack of odes to feminist ideals, OK? It makes you sound juvenile.

REAL may not have been a masterpiece, but for a first film from director Lee Sa Rang , it was a decent film noir; well worth the watch for lovers of the genre. I liked it. I thought KSH did a great job with his character & he was HAWWWT asf in this. Unlike most people I loved the fight scenes. KSH was totally badass in all of them! They had that superhero feel to them. I don't see why this movie garnered such poor reviews. There are certainly worse crime films out there.

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I think the movie wasn't that bad! In fact i loved the fact it made me think and wonder.

PLOT:
The plot was interesting but was presented in a really complicated way, so naturally only small amount of  people will actually like it.
ACTING:
The acting was  good. I'm not  Kim Soo Hyun fan, but i think he did really amazing job here.
MATURITY:
Yes! There were a lot of naked bodies, but I think that was suited for the movie style. The colors and cinematography left me with certain feeling of being drugged - which is one of the main consent of the movie.
ROMANCE:
The romance in the movie was the perfect background for the difference between the protagonists. I loved it! I haven't  seen other movies with such strong and in the same time blur love element.
DIRECTING:
I think displaying such a idea on screen is too big for first movie. So i can only cheer Lee Sa Rang and wait for his other movies.
MAKE UP:
I hated the make up! Pi Dae Seong really fucked some of the moments. Sinning lips all over!
FIGHT:
I laugh a lot. It was like one punch man who had mastered the best matrix moves. - Bad ass and unreal.

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So yes, I began watching this for KSH but 2 hours of this director's navel-gazing was hilariously gruelling.

Some of my observations:
• Visually, it was gratuitous and self-serving. There were clear allusions to "deep" metaphors, but none of them were actually related to the plot or pushed it forward. They were just there because navel-gazing.
• Plot-wise, the director was quoted (and very obviously hinting throughout the movie) that reality is subjective, yet the movie retains its temporal quality and follows a chronological format instead of questioning time and space with narrative techniques, it just throws a lot of visuals at you in hopes that METAPHOR!
• Perception is not the same as reality. There are arguments that perception alters reality, but for the most part, the physical world follows a universal truth. If this story WAS entirely in his head, it would be a much more riveting movie than what it turned out to be. How can you challenge reality and exist simultaneously in the physical plane? This movie does not challenge anything. It tried to be art but ended up as a lot of visual polish on narrative turd.
• The acting is pretty good but that's hardly the problem here
• The story itself is not complex. It's extremely simple but made convoluted because INCEPTION!
• Just to be clear, I understood the story - but I did not like it. I thought it was extremely poorly executed and the point it was trying to make contradicted itself in how they actually made it.

EDIT// If you'd like to see a well-executed storyline that uses drug abuse/addiction to alter perception/reality, I suggest the Ep2, Season 4 of Sherlock (with Cumberbatch) and see how well they handle that subject.

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A subversive experiment ahead of its time

This has been touted as one of the worst films in South Korea and I highly disagree. I believe that this film is one of the foremost singular films to emerge out of South Korea in recent years . It’s a weird movie (definitely)but I foresee it being a cult classic in future years.

I will review, however ,and say that this is not a light nor agreeable watch. In fact - it may come across as frustrating , mind bogging and odd. Its non linear and uses dream sequences in a combative way but the enduring presence of Kim So Hyun makes the watch very palatable .I also do not think that this is a Korean Noir film as it is sometimes described because Real is completely divorced from the noir narrative . Instead , Real is heavily stylistic and its use of violence is elegant and graceful and not grotesque like a Tarantino film inspired by Hong Kong Noir. When one disregards the noir narrative , Real truly is a movie that explores psychological problems and the mental illnesses invoked by addiction.

Its portrayal of psychosis in the form of the Giovanni Mirror Syndrome is something very interesting and groundbreaking as a movie motif. Hence, a complete hats off to Kim Soo Hyun for being dynamism personified as the masked millionaire and gangster and victim of the syndrome. What range ! I read that Kim Soo Hyun wanted this film to be the “representative work of his late twenties” and, my word , did he deliver ! Its truly a role he can be proud of despite the negative reviews surrounding this movie. Moreover , the late Sulli was really quite astounding as Song Yoo Hwa. There is a scene where she is in the throes of addiction and Kim Soo Hyun's character who plays her lover is desperately trying to save her and the look in her eyes was so hauntingly tragic and desperate, perfect for the scene. These two were phenomenal that its a pity the direction was not.

I shaved a lot of points to come to a 6 because direction was not deft and lot of things were not explained or given cinematic pregnant moments . Direction was pretty puerile and the script had a lot of potential but the director just could not restrain himself and things got carried away and I was like 'huh ???!!"

In the end, it all came out as too experimental for a mainstream audience and budget which is dismal because with its budget it could have, at the very least,come out polished but even there-it failed. Its a pity - because this is BURSTING with potential but alas.

Though I do highly believe in 20 years - film enthusiasts will look back and say "Real was really onto something."

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It's worth watching

This movie left a lingering similar feeling to a :Tom Hardy movie + Guy Ritchie's Revolver + John Wick + Sin city (If one can imagine such a wibe)
Actors:
1) Kim soo hyun : very good work, unique(!, as in "never seen before such a gama of KSH's characters") acting. There have been a couple moments when I doubted him but let's not forget the difficulty of the role. I'm not gonna stop long on him as everyone praises his work here, and indisputable it is deserved praise.
2) I want to talk about cast in general: the movie is a surprising line-up of familiar faces ("veteran" actors) and they all did a decent job to portray their characters.
3) AND, of course, Sulli : Amazing acting. Most of her feelings and emotions she has to convey silently and there wasn't a moment I didn't catch the emotion she is transmitting or did I feel any falseness.
Somehow she felt even more natural than Kim Soo Hyun. Definitively much better than acting skills we see in KDramas' female leads.
4) Visuals and aesthetics: It is a beautiful movie even theatrical at times. Leads are amazingly beautiful, scenes as well, so through-out the movie expect the "theatrical scenes" colorful decorum etc etc. But honestly, some moments are really stunning, and are the reason I don't regret watching this movie.
5) Nudity and sex scenes: Too much talk goes around nudity and sex scenes.
Strangely, showing sex is blamed 100x times more than then extreme violence portraid (the movie is drenched in blood and killings etc.). At least the sex was consensual as far as I followed the story line :D. The movie is trying to be as ruthless as Oldboy or the Raid, at least I believe these 2 could have been an inspiration for the action scenes. To conclude... about the sex scenes: for a grown-up - I didn't feel it was too much. Plus this movie never promised to be "innocent".
Nudity: Yes, some details could have been hidden (breasts etc) all will claim but (BUT!) no-one accused Madalina Ghenea for a almost copy paste breasts exposure in The Youth. [and the youth has gathered so many awards, & even an Oscar nomination]. I am not sure what's with the stigma against nudity in Korea and in this movie but we have all seen much worse in movies and no-one had a problem with it.
The sex: Between the leads - I believed it helped to convey the substance and nature of their relationship. I am confused about the purpose of other sex scenes (not all) but some do not seem to add value to the story. For example, when walking on a glass ceiling the sex scenes below show the gravity and the dark business that was going on in this gangster world so it was ok and seemed relevant to me.
6) Lastly, Story-line: I am confused about the story-line. It wasn't all clear to me and I believe the film was cut in a way that disadvantaged the plot. I would find myself lost on numerous occasions which is a pity. The movie is criticized for being too long but honestly I wouldn't mind it to be even longer if it benefited the story. Lust, caution (2007 movie) lasts 157 minutes but oh my god it is worth every minute [btw, it also contains a intense sex scenes and I don't think anyone can blame those]. In case of Real, noticing how some of the scenes were so fast that I missed to catch what was going on there, it almost feels like the director was so compelled to make the movie shorter that we (the average visionary) lost the story-line. Overall, to me the plot and story-line is a failure. If I had to identify the inspiration - I'd say Inception. The movie tries to emerse the viewers in a some-what similar "it's all in your head" or maybe not "mind-game" but oh it so fails to raise to the Inception's level.

Final thoughts: I feel as if the movie was trying to reach the level of highly acclaimed movies mentioned above but it only lost focus and maybe it was a task too difficult for the team. I think it could've been that the target was set too high. Nevertheless, it is a movie with countless stunningly beautiful scenes and unprecedented characters these actors tried to portray. The actor's good work together with the line-up will pleasantly surprise you.

So, for point 1-5) - yes it is worth watching and it will be a surprise but please expect a "what did I just watch" feeling at the end.

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Positives:


The lead actor Kim Soo-hyun is good in his performance and impresses at times.The production values are praiseworthy, especially towards the endThe action scenes are well shot and executed.The concept nevertheless is intriguing despite of the execution.
Negatives:

The screenplay is engaging in the first 30 minutes, but things start to go out of hand as it starts to get convolutedIn my opinion, predictability is not something that is bad. In case of REAL, the predictability of a few basic things is what makes one feel less excited to know what's going to happen further.The editing is disastrous, as there are plenty of scenes which could've been easily done away with. Right after the first half was over, I just wanted the film to be over as soon as possible.The action is good, but the placement is another major disappointment, as it's not placed when you need, except in the climax.
Repeat value: No

REAL is amongst the list of South Korean films which have disappointed me. And it's sad for action movie lover like me to have an action film in that list.

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Is it worth to watch?

The ratings and reviews of this drama are commonly low. For some reason, people didn't find this drama a good movie. Instead, people hated it. Now this is my honest and personal opinion about this movie.

I think this drama would end up well if the story wasn't confusing. When I watched it, I asked myself 'why people hated this drama when the actors did a very good job on acting'. Well the answer is simple...just because the story was a shit. I literally think this drama would change a lot of perspective in kdramas and I would consider it as one of those hollywood movie IF the story wasn't CONFUSING. I am so confused of their past, the reasons and how things end up that way. I am sooooo CONFUSE on their identities and which is who or which is the REAL. Also the ending suck so bad! This is literally a 2hr drama and they gave us a very CONFUSING and piece of shit ending like can someone explain me the situation!?This movie was failure! How can they provide a 2hr movie and still is very confusing. I did not understand a single thing about it.

Now if you ask me, is this movie or drama worth to watch!? In my case, I only watched it because I was intrigued on why this movie has a low rating when the cast is Kim Soo Hyun? But all in all there was nothing interesting on it.
It's not for me to decided because you never know, someone might actually understand on what the f is going on in that movie. That person is a legend!
So if you ask me, go watch it! it's not that bad if you ignore the shitty confusing part. Cause for me? I only survived watching that just beacuse Kim Soo Hyun looks so attractive in this movie and Sulli is so gorgeous but other than that everything was a SHIT. anyway thanks for reading my OPINION :)

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I was confused 95% of the time when watching this movie!

Before watching this movie, I've seen the male lead on MyDramaList voting list, as one of the most attractive Korean actors. Up until watching this movie, I hadn't watched any movie or drama that he acted in. WOW! He is VERY attractive; just seeing him in photos alone you probably will not get why a lot of people find him attractive. However, once you see in a movie/drama, you'll understand the reason why. Within the first 6 minutes of this movie, I was like, wow this man is fine! The male lead attractiveness, the visuals (shots), and the cast acting is as good as it gets (seriously). I was totally confused by 95% of this movie (mainly the script). I get the James Bond & Godfather vibes the director envisioned. However, I don't think the script held its weight. I wanted to drop this movie 3 times before reaching where I am now (the 1 hour 47 minute mark). While I am curious to know what happens in the end, I just think it'll bring more confusion.

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