Colum H
UK - Yorkshire Free State
This review may contain spoilers
Hey! hey! Action movie with Gong Yoo, hurrah! A rival to The Man from Nowhere?
Unfortunately it ends up just too much. Too much shaky camera cuts, too much like Bourne, too much running time, too much crazy action...my disbelief was so suspended it had rope marks and a dead leg.
So homage to Bourne - the music, the control room dipping into CCTV, the shaky choppy camera etc. The assassin in the jeep ending up in the crash like the Russian in Bourne, the green river water. Not that I minded really but they just went too over the top. The thing with Bourne is it always felt at least a little bit real, I mean he limped for ages and drove a mini! But this? After about the fourth time he was hit by/he hit a car I was wondering if they are made from foam rubber in Korea.
The dude playing Min Se Hoon was dreadful as well so cool with his shades and bad attitude, not. Best spycatcher out there can't control his temper or follow clues abd stands out like a sore thumb. He just started bothering me every time he was on screen and the big car chase he was in was ridiculous. It was just farcical; driving at breakneck speeds through one of the most heavily populated cities in the world down narrow streets in a trashed car with one hand on the wheel whilst hanging out of the window popping off rounds - arse!
Add into the mix some poor pacing, serviceable but uninspired dialogue and too much chasing. I gave up about 25 minutes from the end I just didn't care anymore.
Gong Yoo and Yoo Da In did a good job with what they were given aided by at least some of the supporting cast. The music was OK. The plot was OK. I wouldn't ever try and watch this again.
If you are a Gong Yoo fan or you just like adrenaline fueled action then I'm sure you'll find enough in this to keep you going but in my book it goes down as a missed opportunity.
Unfortunately it ends up just too much. Too much shaky camera cuts, too much like Bourne, too much running time, too much crazy action...my disbelief was so suspended it had rope marks and a dead leg.
So homage to Bourne - the music, the control room dipping into CCTV, the shaky choppy camera etc. The assassin in the jeep ending up in the crash like the Russian in Bourne, the green river water. Not that I minded really but they just went too over the top. The thing with Bourne is it always felt at least a little bit real, I mean he limped for ages and drove a mini! But this? After about the fourth time he was hit by/he hit a car I was wondering if they are made from foam rubber in Korea.
The dude playing Min Se Hoon was dreadful as well so cool with his shades and bad attitude, not. Best spycatcher out there can't control his temper or follow clues abd stands out like a sore thumb. He just started bothering me every time he was on screen and the big car chase he was in was ridiculous. It was just farcical; driving at breakneck speeds through one of the most heavily populated cities in the world down narrow streets in a trashed car with one hand on the wheel whilst hanging out of the window popping off rounds - arse!
Add into the mix some poor pacing, serviceable but uninspired dialogue and too much chasing. I gave up about 25 minutes from the end I just didn't care anymore.
Gong Yoo and Yoo Da In did a good job with what they were given aided by at least some of the supporting cast. The music was OK. The plot was OK. I wouldn't ever try and watch this again.
If you are a Gong Yoo fan or you just like adrenaline fueled action then I'm sure you'll find enough in this to keep you going but in my book it goes down as a missed opportunity.
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