When this movie ended my thoughts: "What? But it only started like 5 minutes ago!!" It was a solid 2hr. 14 minutes and I can hardly find anything to complain about. Acting was spot on, the directing was great, the music fit, and there was a perfect balance between comedy and drama. All the awards this movie won and all the nominations it got; all were well deserved. Gangsters in suits, what else do you need? The movie was inspired by Hong Kong legend Infernal Affairs and Hollywood epic Godfather. If you have seen those both movies and remember them well, you will find similar symbolism in New World. The plot is unpredictable. I didn't really try guessing nor did I pay attention to the hints so the ending surprised, but if you pick up Godfather references (that closing door cough cough), you will know the end. New World doesn't reach up to Godfather's brilliance, not even close, but for a Korean gangster movie it's really good, one of the best. I absolutely loved the cold atmosphere in the movie, the music was ominous and most of the scenes were filmed in "cold" and "emotionless" places like construction sites, meeting rooms, warehouses, empty restaurants. The scenery was absolutely soulless lacking all possible humanity! Another thing that I loved was that the movie went more for a psychological impact than tasteless bloody splatter or gang fights (leaving the latter to minimum). The torture scenes were gripping, a bit too much blood to my taste, but just the right impact. Great job! No unnecessary and forced love scenarios and no blatant sex, only scheming and action! Acting was great. My only complaint is Lee Jung Jae as Ja Sung, he lacked the charisma. His character was muted and gave more space to other much brighter characters, which was a good thing in my opinion. But still, it was hard to see Ja Sung's plight. The conflict he went through was shattering. He was the only character that actually changed and evolved during the movie. The others seemed to be stuck in their own realities and that's not a bad thing. But that change Ja Sung went through, I wish someone else but stonefaced Lee Jung Jae played him so it would have been more visible. He tried really hard but just like the cold background, he remained sort of soulless and dull. Hwang Jeong Min as Jung Chung was brilliant, the moment he appeared I loved him! His punchlines were spot on and he brought the comedy in the misery of it all. "Hey brotha", I couldn't get enough of him talking, because every time he opened his mouth it was just... everything he said always fit the situation. "Jung Goo that gaesekki, he is a walking puberty!" When in the end Jung Chung said "That stupid idiot let the police fool himself." That's when I realized his full potential. Heck, he was smart and he had a big heart, unlike other gangsters in the movie. Notice that he often appeared in warm settings with a lot of people around him. He seemed stupid and everyone was looking down on him but heck, he was awesome. Chinks all the way! He gave Ja Sung what no one else did, what his boss and the police failed to give him, what he had been searching for all this time: trust. Their friendship was what gave Ja Sung the biggest impact and helped him to reach a conclusion between crime and law. We could say that Jung Chung saved his life, literally and figuratively. The symbolism was strong in this one. Park Sung Woong shines as Jung Goo, the role couldn't be more fitting for this actor. Sung Woong, the self-absorbed twisted devil. Choi Min Shik? The dirty cop who is ready to go for sacrifices but also has the heart to mourn and regret. I don't know if I liked his character or hated him, but I know that it was a great character. It beats me how even the smallest side roles like the Yangbians, everyone had an impact in this movie, no one felt useless, everyone had their own place, no one was a filler character. I learned to like all characters, and acting was pretty good from everyone's part. I just wished Hwang Jeong Min was better. New World starts with a bang and the plot moves on with a good pace, mostly fueled by dialogs, which is a refreshing breather in typical Korean gangster films. There is not even one boring moment and you find yourself glued to the screen, wondering what's going to happen next. The message of the film is pretty twisted, but I like how it points out that you need to change to get somewhere. If you get stuck in your own comfort zone, you will forever be just a dog used by others. When Ja Sung did what he did, I realized that all his 8 years of undercover work lead him there. He didn't want to go there but was pushed forward and sort of cleaned his path little by little. Finally, he snapped or maybe it was more about him finding himself. His face often showed how sick he was of it all, how much agony it caused him. The flashbacks at the end were a great plus and despite being short they explained so much, once again symbolism was strong. The ending was perfect, it fit the story. More than everyone getting what they deserved it was about Je Sung's character turning a new leaf. He finally understood what mattered to him the most and he stood behind his own beliefs, he was loyal. Him in the end and him in the beginning, those were two different people. One was insecure, still looking for his place in the world and the other had finally found that place. He lost a lot, but he also gained something priceless.