A Taxi Driver (2017)

Before you even consider watching this movie, be prepared to have your heart moved beyond return.

Where do I even begin with the beautiful movie? I watched this movie in the cinemas without any idea what I was going to be watching, no trailer and no synopsis at all. But the movie captivated me from the beginning. On surface level, it seems like a light-hearted, slice of life type movie revolving around a loving father and his daughter, but little did I know it was so, so, so much more than that.

There’s so much to say about this movie, but I’ll start with entertainment factors. If you enjoy plotlines that are based of real-life stories, tackle the human experience, explore history and how they shaped the world today, all whilst mixed with comedy here and there, then this is for you. If you have no idea whether or not you like any of the just mentioned, then this movie essentially follows the experience of a normal human stuck in a political revolution. Now, some of you might hear politics and cringe instantly, but A Taxi Driver manages to convey the whole plotline and context effortlessly without delving deep into the political history at all, making it a foreigner friendly film if you don’t know much about Korean political history.

A Taxi Driver also really does an amazing job at capturing human emotion. There are parts of the movie that are just so raw, sometimes you hate the main character, sometimes you love him, but despite whatever his actions, we could still understand and sympathise. Of course some of the situations are probably dramatized for effect from the true story, but in terms of the overall context of protests and uprising, it definitely conveys the aspects involved in these parts of history.

I would definitely recommend a packet of tissues and some social justice warrior spirit to watch this. Overall I think it’s a very important film because it really sheds light on some issues that we take for granted today (e.g. a free media!). So if you’re not really into this type of entertainment, I would still suggest you watch this just to learn a little more about things like protests and democracy.

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(First of all, let me tell you all that the user Senpai has copied my review from IMDb on this site, so don't think I'm the one who copied)

I've been highly impressed long time by Song Kang-ho, and I've been watching many of his movies since later few months. I was highly excited to watch his new historical action drama A TAXI DRIVER, because the trailer was highly impressive. It showed how the film would turn out to be. I just wanted to see it as soon as possible and I finally got the opportunity.

A TAXI DRIVER, without a second thought, is the best South Korean film I've seen till date. From narration to execution to performances to presentation: it's perfect in each and every aspect. The change in the tone of the film has been brought up extremely well, thanks to its director Jang Hoon. The screenplay is never disappointing throughout, and the film comes out as both a refreshing as well as a memorable experience.

The film's editing is top notch as it doesn't take much of time to introduce and set up the characters as well as the storyline. As the film progresses, you find yourself connected to the characters, especially the ones of Song Kang-ho and Thomas Kretschmann. Both actors have delivered extremely excellent performances, and rather so excellent that I ended up rooting for them completely. When they smiled, I smiled. When they cried, I cried too. Rest of the supporting cast, especially Ryu Jun-yeol and Yu Hae-jin deserve a lot of praise.

The film's technical aspects are top notch. The visuals are breathtaking and the story is well captured by a first-rate cinematography. The film's action sequences are another major highlight, as they induce a lot of excitement along with tension as to what would happen next. The film's not extremely violent, and thus I recommend you to watch it with your family. There's no vulgarity or obscenity in this film.

There are plenty of emotional sequences which make the film a totally unforgettable experience. Watch the film and you won't find it difficult to guess which scenes I'm talking about. Various emotional, thrilling as well as action packed sequences have been elevated by the brilliant music.

A TAXI DRIVER is a hard-hitting film which must be seen not just for its overall excellence but also for the message it delivers to its viewers. It's hard and almost impossible to forget the film, as you're left highly emotional & impressed by the time the credits start to roll. In short, a perfect masterpiece from South Korea!

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