Was this review helpful to you?
The story itself has a lot of familiar thriller elements. There's a murder mystery, a kidnapping, a race against time, and a cunning criminal behind it all. Ryoo Seung Bum is great as the subtle, and unsuspecting, mastermind Lee Seong Hyo. I liked that he wasn't a crazy over the top villain. It made him seem more sinister. He is matched against forensic expert Kang played by Sol Kyung Gu, and tenacious rookie detective Min Seo-yeong played by Han Hye Jin. Sol Kyung Gu was great, but I was a little less impressed with Min Seo-yeong. There was nothing wrong with how she played the character, but she just seemed a little timid and forgettable for my taste. There was also an obnoxious cop, who seemed too much like comic relief to me. Still, the entire cast was pretty solid, although the real star of this movie is the script.
In the beginning the plot is pretty slow, but trust me when I say that you'll want to pay attention to all that's going on. I was reminded of other thrillers that I love (Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, Primal Fear) but I think No Mercy is still an original. I had no idea how it would all end until the very end. Now that I know the whole story, I am curious to watch it again from that perspective, but I admit that some of the suspense will be gone. I also want to warn viewers that there are some very graphic moments, but nothing explicit without a reason.
I know it gets compared to Old Boy a lot, even by the friend who recommended it to me, but unlike Old Boy's over the top revenge ending, this ending was just brutally haunting.
I think this is a must see for any fan of revenge thrillers, or if you just want to be told a great story (even if it's not a happy one).
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
-The performances of Sol Kyung-gu and Ryoo Seung-bum are very realistic and impactful, while Han Hye-jin also performs extremely well apart from looking pretty.
-The screenplay is top notch. There are no deviations to the storytelling and it keeps you hooked to the edge of the seat.
-The action scenes have been neatly shot and executed.
-The twists and turns eventually turn out to be thought-provoking.
-The editing is excellent as the film rarely has any dull moments and grips the viewer completely.
-A lot of graphic scenes add a realistic touch to the film.
-The climax is very powerful and makes the film quite unforgettable.
Negatives:
-Well, nothing much.
Repeat value: Yes
NO MERCY is a very tightly scripted, well written and masterfully crafted action-crime thriller which stands at par with many classic South Korean revenge-themed movies.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The cinematography, the acting and the cast were the main good points of this film. The colours were amusing, the presentation of the dead bodies were naturalistic, the mode of killing and the motivation behind it was well constructed so it surprises even me why I feel that the story itself with its nonsenses could bring down such a good movie to this average rating. According to my knowledge gained by watching crime documentaries there were some points that simply does not made sense at all: while completing the autopsy of the body it was not tested that the parts were from one single body or not, during the trial of the culprit's sister death a second autopsy was not suggested to solve the pending questions of the family, the evidence could not be fabricated or changed that easily. Especially if the forensic scientist was so respected and capable like it was shown in the film, he would not be that careless that he would skip checking wether the DNA collected from all the pieces of the body were matching or not.
It felt like the environmental issues mentioned were put aside really quickly even though it seemed like the culprit was extremely obssessed with the "Venus concept" of that river.
P.S.: Yes, I am obssessed with crime documentaries especially with serial killings.
Was this review helpful to you?
Highlights:
- One of the lead characters, Min Seo-Young, is quite likeable with her ambition and sense of justice
- There is a decently written revenge plot that is executed (albeit a horribly morbid and unsatisfying one)
Criticisms:
- WOW, there is a such thing as showing too much [autopsy scenes]
- All throughout the film, we are taken on an unsavory journey, where there is no "right" and the conclusion is THE LAST thing you'd want to see happen
- As far as the mystery goes, the plot is pretty decent, but the overused visual clichés [like slow motion for dramatic effect] make it seem really corny in tone
- THE MOVIE IS BORING; it took me several attempts to finish this one
Final thoughts - I love investigative thrillers/mystery more than most people, especially the plethora of outstanding South Korean titles in this amazing mixed genre. No Mercy is just too frustrating to recommend.
I don't believe every movie needs a happy ending to be entertaining, but there should be something for the viewer to feel good about after spending two hours of their time.
Watch Broken or The Deal instead and save your time on this one.
5.5/10
Was this review helpful to you?
