Now, to the story. Some people complain that this movie lacks character development. Whilst this may be true, the pace of this movie is actually very fast. He was falsely accused of rape and murder and thrown into prison immediately after a trial only based on circumstantial evidence. If you monitor the rest of the movie, the story actually followed the pacing of this first half very closely, perhaps making it difficult for some people to follow but that doesn't mean the way of the storytelling itself is problematic. You can already tell by the pacing of the story that it's meant to be action-packed, perhaps at the compromise of better character writings.
I particularly loved the prison scenes so much, especially when he had major outbursts of raw emotions. This is where I saw and judged the range of acting capabilities by the actor Ji Chang Wook himself. This guy is mad talented, not only in action sequence but also in emotional scenes as well.
If you love action and thrillers, this is definitely a film for you. It's very enjoyable, and quite an emotional watch! You haven't seen Ji Chang Wook if you haven't seen this movie, and you definitely haven't seen one of the best K-movie releases of 2017 if you haven't watched this.
Was this review helpful to you?
~~ I can't say that the actors are bad but this is the kind of film where the cast is interchangeable, all of them w/o exceptions.
~~The sequence of events are rushed in the second part. Some scenes are shown to surely pique our interest, to anticipate the next action but in the end they are poorly interwoven.
~~ The golden rule for this kind of scenario to work and keep me hooked on my seat: come up with smart, please smart, villains. I don't need a guy who blabs for a minute about his sense of accomplishment.
~~ Were the fight scenes (or at least what were supposed to be fight scenes) supposed to be done in the dark? How am I supposed to appreciate the quality of the choreography?
~~ It didn't reinvent the action genre with the typical "wrongly accused" + "revenge" + justice seeking ingredients but it's watchable.
~~ Don't expect an emotional connection from the gang or their inner thoughts on what motivates them. No, everyone does their own thing and everything works out fine.
Was this review helpful to you?
Excellent idea badly executed
This film started out great! In fact, I thought it was brilliant until it got to about 1/3 of the way through and then it plain nose-dived.So some loser is framed for murder and he goes to prison, where he gets treated like the child-rapist is was convicted to be. He escapes and... the film went full retard (never go full retard!), right down to the lead turning Daredevil and the villain painfully over-acting his nervous breakdown.
Cliches abound, all plausability is stretched past breaking point, the plot becomes muddled... sigh, I really can't express how awful and stupid such a superb concept becomes when the writers - or whoever - simply cannot plot coherently.
Still, it gets a 4 for the great idea and an excellent first act... but honestly, once he breaks out of prison (maybe 30 minutes in), you'd be better off hitting the stop button and imagining your own ending.
Was this review helpful to you?
PROS
+ Unique and stylish high-tech aesthetic creates an interesting setting
+ Healthy balance of storytelling and intense action
+ Cool and likeable cast of main characters
+ Awesome car chase sequences
+ Nicely fitting electronic score
CONS
- Early on, expectations are low from the rushed feel of the plot pacing
- Not many details are given on some of the cool side cast
- One of the "surprise" villains is easy to spot and a little cheesy-looking
- - - - -
Wow! I had a good feeling about Fabricated City and I was right. It is one of the most exciting and engaging modern action films I've experienced.
Find a way to watch this!
9/10
Was this review helpful to you?
Really good movie but one time watch
The story is really good at for an action fanatic like myself, I really liked all the action in this movie. It's a thriller and suspense movie and I thought it was really good. It was an emotional rollercoaster for me and I really connected with the characters. I'm a huge fan of Chang Wook and I'm really happy he acted in this movie. Only bad thing is once you know the story, the suspense is gone and the movie is boring. Definitely not something I will watch again but really good movie to watch once.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The plot of this film is really intriguing. An innocent person is framed for a murder he/she did not commit. I could say it did resemble Hollywood's "Double Jeopardy" with Ashley Judd or the recent Korean drama "One Ordinary Day" with Kim Soo Hyun. The actors also did a good job, however, the whole relationship between Kwon Yoo and Yeo Wool felt rushed and not authentic. I could not feel the chemistry the actors were trying to portray. There were moments that felt overly dramatic - for example when Kwon Yoo is in prison and learns martial arts within weeks or during an unknown period considering his time in prison was not told. The idea of fighting in dark using rice was good but the execution and visual side of it was not so much considering the film was shot in 2017 when high-end technology was already available. Overall, I did like the idea, the plot and the acting. Visually the fight scenes were okay but the graphics of some of the scenes were not good. In my personal opinion, this film is deserving to see at least once so give it a chance!
Was this review helpful to you?
First of all, the scenes were so jumpy and incoherent that it was hard to follow what was going on and everything was a big mess. I have no idea what I even watched. The second half of the video was supposed to be fast paced and exciting but the editing was so choppy I spaced out and couldn't concentrate on the flow of the story. It was like a big chunk of the movie was cut because of overrun. The scenes had no linkage between them. One second you're running then the next second you're already driving and suddenly you're in a parking lot and then your car flies out of a window. And it all happens in like 10 seconds.
This is like a big show off of CGI and flying cars and random explosions with no purpose whatsoever. The dialogue was shallow and there was no character development and the chemistry was underdeveloped. There was a scene hinting the potential romance between the leads but then it was never mentioned again afterwards. It makes me wonder why that scene was even necessary.
The characters are pretty unique and charming, but they are wasted due to having no individual character development at all. The main focus of the plot was the rivalry between the ML and the antagonist, which was dragged on A LOT. Events happen one after another non-stop until you start wondering, "when is this movie going to end?"
The former part before the antagonist is revealed was ok, I liked the idea of fabricating scenes and controlling public opinion. But the latter part was like a wild horse on steroids. It was the first time I felt tired of watching an action film with tons of suspenseful moments. All this 100% CGI + shallow plot + 2D characters should stop cuz it's a bad representation of Korean cinema. They should make more films like The Handmaiden, A Taxi Driver and The Wailing.
Was this review helpful to you?
Visuals are okay, but the characters and like someone said, development...
The main protagonist is lovely face, but.. that's all, we have lovely faces in Korean movies and they are actually good,
but this is pure kdrama material.
Again props to visual and effects, maybe the only thing that saved movie, little bit.
This was one of the biggest disappointment in 2017
confidential assignment, villaines, new trial and taxi driver saved 2017 Korean cinema
Was this review helpful to you?
Don't fall for star studded cast
It is a huge let down with amazing actors like Ji Chang wook, Kim Sang ho, Lee Hani and Oh Jung se. The makers didn't use them efficiently, especially Lee Hani's character. They gave space for 2nd part with escape of Lee Hani, if they ever make it, better come up with convincing story.Story: it has one of the best opening scenes. Start is great with mother bonding, injustice and prison scenes make viewer's blood boil. So naturally expectations keep growing. Then you find problem in everything that happens because story went bleak and too convenient for protagonist. Then comes not so surprising reveal of mastermind who is wise but don't stand a chance against our team. My major complain is the very team, no one is memorable, didn't develop bond with team members or audience, who are they, what do they do, how do they live, why are they helping at the risk of their lives... can't convince myself that 2 hr long movie isn't enough to explain everything.
Oh Jung se's role could have been best in his career if they didn't make a joke out of it. That ending is plain dumb. Action sequences and car chases are well shot, cinematography is also good.
Was this review helpful to you?
Ji Chang Wook was excellent as always, and the supporting cast were amazing too! I always have a soft spot for female hackers (especially Min Ja from Healer) and Shim Eun Kyung was a good choice for the role. Shoutout to the main villain for being super creepy as well... a little too creepy, haha.
Also, I loved how well the team worked together. You could really tell that they'd known each other for a long time through the game, and I got a lot more attached to them than I usually do to action movie characters.
The soundtrack is extremely good and suspenseful, and reminds me of the music from TRON: Legacy, which is very fitting for the video-game-feel and urban atmosphere.
The only complaint I have is that I couldn't find a decently subbed version online. If my local theater showed it I would have gone to see it multiple times...but alas I live in the US midwest :( I requested it on both Dramafever and Viki - if you use these sites please request it too and maybe they'll give us a nicely subbed version...
Overall: if you have a soft spot for Ji Chang Wook, action movies with excellent plots, and/or tales of loyalty and uncovering corruption, this is the movie for you!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
movie was good, the beginning - hell until he made a run for it - it was a tough watch, especially knowing he was innocent and the sh*t he had to go through. was horror inducing for me, reminded me of a few movie (The Fugitive (1993) Ready Player One (2018)).. was at the edge of my seat on a few instances, and glad everything worked out in the end.the villain was psychotically evil, f*cker, no conscience at all - the guts to represent the person u incriminated and then add insult to injury u kill his mother, like no conscious at all. even after seeing how he was suffering in prison, really scary. and even though he was caught, the chick that was working with him is free and from what was said - if he is replaceable, she as guilty as he is and she will restart the operation and this insidious machine will be back at work. this kinda open ending is annoying.
have to say usual don't like FL's (in korean dramas, sometimes even movies) but Mr.Hairy was the bomb - no bellyaching and crying, acting cutesy and vulnerable, demanding attention and seeking help cause she a delicate flower. yeah she was an introvert, but she was strong and kick-ass and the sec she knew he was out - she was ready to help. even though cause of her being an introvert, pretty sure her contacting all the other players in the group and meeting up with everyone was emotionally grueling.. but really great watch
Was this review helpful to you?
Movies like this make me think positively about the future of Korean cinema because outside the smoke and mirrors of domestic and international awards, what Korean cinema lacks is tight execution and good old storytelling of otherwise creative concepts. Sometimes I feel Korean movies focus too much on sensationalism (be it gruesomeness or eroticism bordering on pornography), technical camera work and production value rather than storytelling, character development and execution. It's nice to see a movie that is well-made and reminds us of the fun of going to the movies. Nicely done.
Was this review helpful to you?
